Understanding Aneurysms
Aneurysms are a serious but silent medical condition that everyone should be aware of. Now we can discuss what an aneurysm is, different types, what causes them, symptoms, and the best treatment and prevention methods.
What is an Aneurysm?
An aneurysm forms when a part of the artery wall becomes weakened, so that the artery wall balloons out or bulges. Now let’s return to your garden hose. Just suppose that a weakness develops in part of the hose wall, so that a segment of the hose begins to bulge outward – that’s an aneurysm.
Types of Aneurysms
Aneurysms can occur in different parts of your body. Here are the main types:
Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm
These are aneurysms of the part of your aorta that goes through the stomach. Often they’re discovered incidentally when doing an exam for another reason.
Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm
These are in the part of the aorta that runs through the chest. They might also cause chest pain, back pain, or difficulty breathing.
Cerebral Aneurysm
Cerebral aneurysms are brain-based and can rupture into skulls. They’re called ticking time bombs.
Saccular Aneurysm
A perfect example would be the so-called ‘berry aneurysm’, which is a bulging structure in the brain that is likely by far the most often seen type of brain aneurysm.
Fusiform Aneurysm
A swelling, or dilatation, in the form of a sausage shape upon a cerebral artery. Less ubiquitous, but still diagnosed hemorrhage.
Causes and Risk Factors
Aneurysms can be caused by a variety of factors. Here’s a closer look:
Genetic Factors
It can sometimes be genetics: if your family has an aneurysm history, for instance, you might be more at-risk.
Lifestyle and Environmental Factors
Smoking, hypertension, even heavy drinking can erode your artery walls, predisposing you to aneurysm.
Medical Conditions
Arterial conditions such as Marfan syndrome or Ehlers-Danlos syndrome can also make the arteries aneurysm-prone.
Symptoms of an Aneurysm
Sometimes you feel like you’re just hanging on when you look at an aneurysm: often there are no symptoms until the blister-like sac has been enlarging for a long time, or they rupture. Here’s the inside scoop.
Silent Symptoms
Most aneurysms don’t cause any symptoms until they are ready to burst. Imaging and consultations with your GP to screen for any large vessels wider than normal can help catch them in time.
Symptoms by Location
Abdominal Aneurysms
Might cause belly pain or a pulsating sensation near the navel.
Thoracic Aneurysms
Can cause back pain, chest pain, or trouble breathing.
Brain Aneurysms
Often present with severe headaches, vision changes, or neck pain.
Diagnosis and Detection
Imaging Tests
There’s no better tool than tests that capture image-bytes, like a CT scan, an MRI, or an ultrasound, where you get a window over what’s occurring inside your arteries.
Physical Exams
Sometimes, a doctor can palpate an abdominal aneurysm on a routine physical check-up, especially in thin patients.
Treatment Options
Medications
Drugs can also reduce a patient’s risk for future complications by lowering blood pressure and cholesterol levels, thus averting a more serious aneurysm from forming.
Surgical Procedures
Endovascular Surgery
A less invasive technique, where a surgeon feeds a catheter through your blood vessels to insert a stent graft.
Open Surgery
In more severe cases, surgical intervention might be necessary to remove the damaged portion of the artery and replace it with a graft.
Preventative Measures
Lifestyle Changes
Abstaining from smoking, eating a balanced diet and regular exercise all reduce your likelihood of an aneurysm.
Regular Check-ups
For people with a high risk of aneurysm, regular medical check-ups are important and can help with managing and treating aneurysms long before they rupture and become life threatening.
Living with an Aneurysm
Managing Anxiety
They would probably make a lot of waves if you let them. One acquaintance who had dealt with the condition for years put it more succinctly: ‘Living with an aneurysm is stressful, man.’ The risk of a second rupture can take a serious toll on one’s mental health: ‘It definitely increased my anxiety,’ Dr. Sano said, surrounded by other neck braces in the trauma ward waiting room. ‘It took me a long time to get to a point where I wasn’t anxious all the time.’ Therapy. Meditation. Support groups. Do what you can to manage the anxiety, until it fades to a dull background noise.
Support Systems
Family, friends, a good healthcare team. There is no substitute for a strong support system.
Myths and Facts
Common Misconceptions
Another equally pernicious myth is that aneurysms are always catastrophic – this is false, though of course serious. But in lots of cases, they can be managed and treated.
Evidence-based Facts
Studies have indicated that lifestyle changes and medicines can greatly reduce the risk of an aneurysm growing or rupture.
Conclusion
That’s a wrap for aneurysms: a serious condition but one that’s well understood. Next time, hopefully, it will go like this: I recognize the symptoms, I remember the risk factors, and doctor Google gives me some idea of what to do. Then I can head to the chemist, or call the hospital, or get in my car to drive as fast as I can to the infirmary for a small dose of tilt-table therapy, and that’ll be that. And I’m still walking, wobbly but standing tall. And one more thing: you, dear reader, know what’s coming next. That was our audacious little lesson explaining a somewhat amorphous medical condition neither you nor I probably know much about. You were obliged to trust me, though, weren’t you? Well, that’s pretty much how it works in the clinical world. There are always misunderstandings, misdiagnoses, misinformation, misapprehension and malevolent distortions that create a bubbling froth of epistasis on the sea of anxiety. Oh-oh!
FAQs
What are the warning signs of an aneurysm?
Other danger signs are agonizing headaches, altered eyesight, heart pain, back pain and pulsating pain anywhere in the abdomen.
Can aneurysms be prevented?
Although many people already know that the risk for aneurysms isn’t always avoidable, it’s a good idea to prevent or mitigate risk factors by controlling high blood pressure, quitting smoking, or undergoing routine check-ups.
How are aneurysms detected?
Aneurysms are often detected through imaging tests like CT scans, MRIs, and ultrasounds.
What is the most common type of aneurysm?
Abdominal aortic aneurysms are the most common type.
Is surgery always required for an aneurysm?
Not necessarily. Whether to operate often depends on the size and location of the aneurysm, and the risk that it will rupture.
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