Yes, you can overcome a brain aneurysm, especially if treated before rupture, but recovery, particularly from a ruptured one, can involve significant challenges and long-term effects, requiring intensive rehabilitation, therapy (physical, occupational, speech), and support to manage potential cognitive, emotional, or physical deficits and lead a full life. Early detection and treatment are key, as ruptured aneurysms are often fatal, but survivors can achieve remarkable recovery with dedicated care and adjustments.
Devastation Caused by Aneurysms
Ruptured brain aneurysms are fatal in about 50% of cases. Of those who survive, about 66% suffer some permanent neurological deficit. Approximately 15% of people with a ruptured aneurysm die before reaching the hospital.
About 25% of people who experience a brain aneurysm rupture die within 24 hours. Around 50% of people die within three months of the rupture due to complications. Of those who survive, about 66% experience permanent brain damage. Some people recover with little or no disability.
All aneurysms have the potential to rupture and hemorrhage. A ruptured aneurysm can cause serious health problems such as stroke, brain damage, coma, and even death. Some aneurysms, especially very small ones, do not bleed or cause other problems.
The 2 main types of surgery are: surgical clipping – where a small metal clip is attached to the blood vessel in the brain to stop blood flowing into the aneurysm. endovascular surgery – where a coil or small piece of wire mesh is put inside the aneurysm to slow the flow of blood into it and help a blood clot to form.
When unruptured aneurysms do produce symptoms, patients may experience:
Endovascular Embolization Procedure
Aneurysm embolization is a nonsurgical treatment performed by an endovascular neurosurgeon. In this procedure, a small catheter is threaded through the femoral (thigh) artery in the groin up into the brain.
Brain aneurysms form from weakened artery walls, often due to factors like high blood pressure, smoking, family history, and atherosclerosis, with some cases linked to congenital defects, head injury, or infections, causing a bulge that can rupture and bleed.
Risk factors include: Age. Brain aneurysms can happen at any age. However, they're more common in adults between ages 30 and 60.
The link here is that stress can increase your risk of high blood pressure, which in turn increases your risk of experiencing a brain aneurysm. However, stress itself does not cause brain aneurysm formation.
If you have an unruptured brain aneurysm, you may lower the risk of rupture by making these lifestyle changes:
Many aneurysms cause no symptoms at all. Some people live for years without knowing they have a brain aneurysm.
Risks and recovery with surgical clipping
Risks include: Severe brain injury or death: Rare, around 1%. Stroke: Occurs in about 5–15% of cases. This can cause weakness of the arms or legs, problems with speech, or vision changes.
Recovery for most people includes five to 10 days in the hospital and four to six weeks at home.
That's why people with brain aneurysms may need to avoid high-impact exercises. A common misconception is that all exercise is dangerous for aneurysm patients. In reality, moderate physical activity such as walking, swimming, or light stretching can be beneficial.
“If it ruptures, what it feels like is the worst headache of life, worse than anything you've ever had, like a hammer hitting the back of the head,” says Dr. Patel. Along with a headache, symptoms of a brain aneurysm rupture also include: Confusion or loss of consciousness.
An unruptured aneurysm might not initially have any symptoms, but that usually changes as it grows larger. The warning signs that indicate a person has developed an unruptured brain aneurysm include: Pain behind or above an eye. Double vision.
COVID-19-induced damage to endothelial cells could also be one of the possible mechanisms leading to aneurysm rupture. COVID-19 is associated with changes in endothelial morphology and apoptosis, which can accelerate the deterioration of the arterial wall leading to aneurysm rupture.
Results. Our model predicts a growth rate of 0.34–1.63 mm/yr for three different growth models when the rupture rate at 10 mm is 1%. The growth rate is 0.56–0.65 mm/yr if annual rupture rate averaged over all aneurysm sizes is assumed to be 2%.
High blood pressure, cigarette smoking and heavy alcohol abuse are common risk factors. Polycystic kidney disease also increases the risk of brain aneurysm development and should trigger screening for vascular imaging of the brain.
The exact cause isn't fully known. Atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries with a sticky substance called plaque) is thought to play an important role in aneurysmal disease. Risk factors associated with atherosclerosis include, but are not limited to: Older age.
During a comprehensive eye exam, an eye care provider can detect increased pressure in the brain, including swelling of the optic nerve or bleeding into the retina of the eye, which may indicate an aneurysm is present.
Treatment consists of inserting small metal coils into the aneurysm, called coiling, or a newer technology called flow diversion. Flow diversion is a treatment in which surgeons insert a stent into the artery along the aneurysm, which significantly reduces and later blocks blood flow into the aneurysm.
Inherited risks associated with brain aneurysms
A family history of aneurysms can suggest a higher chance of having the condition. But, these risks increase even more if you have two or more first-degree relatives — such as a parent, sibling, or child — who have an aneurysm.
Can you drive if you have a brain aneurysm? Generally, if the aneurysm hasn't bled (ruptured) or if the aneurysm has bled (ruptured) and you've had surgery (like clipping or coiling), you do not need to tell the DVLA - unless your doctor advises it, or you still have symptoms affecting your driving .