Symptoms of Bleeding Brain: A Look at Aneurysm
Posted by Medical Fan - 23/12/08 at 09:12 amSymptoms of Bleeding Brain: A Look at Aneurysm
As far as the medical field is concerned, a bleeding brain may be the symptom of a number of diseases. The other symptoms felt by the patient, aside from the bleeding brain shown by a brain scan, are taken together to ascertain the diagnosis. However, symptoms of bleeding brain are usually associated with aneurysm, an abnormal ballooning or widening of some portion of a blood vessel in the brain.
A cerebral aneurysm pertains to a blood vessel in the brain that deteriorates over time. The weakening of such blood vessel causes its widening or bulging out like a balloon. This normally occurs at an area termed the “Circle of Willis,” the junctions of large arteries located at the base of the brain. As an aneurysm progresses, it forms a balloon-like structure, complete with a neck and an associated dome. As the balloon grows larger, the risk of it bursting becomes greater. When the balloon finally bursts, symptoms of bleeding brain manifest themselves. Different studies have shown that about eight to ten million Americans have brain aneurysms. For every 100 people with one or more aneurysms, one person will suffer a break or rupture called sub-arachnoid haemorrhage. The cause of this condition is not known and there is no telling when the haemorrhage will take place.
When an aneurysm ruptures, symptoms of bleeding brain include severe headaches (a different one compared to the usual pain of migraine or tension headache) that go on for days or weeks, neck stiffness, sudden sensitivity to light, nausea, and vomiting. When the rupture has lasted for weeks, symptoms include dilation of pupils, changes in the person’s mental state (ranging from confusion to coma), and seizures.