Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsTypesSymptomsCausesDiagnosisTreatmentPrognosis
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Types
Symptoms
Causes
Diagnosis
Treatment
Prognosis
An aneurysm is a disorder of the vascular system. It involves a weakening in part of an artery wall, causing the artery to stretch and balloon out. When the artery wall is weak enough to bulge out, there is a risk that it could eventually burst, or rupture (break open suddenly), which could cause some serious complications, such as internal bleeding.
The larger the aneurysm, the higher the risk for it to rupture. The severity of a ruptured aneurysm depends on many factors, such as which artery is involved and where in the body the aneurysm is located. For example, a rupturedbrain aneurysmcould result in astroke. Depending on the location of the aneurysm, other serious complications could include a heart attack, kidney damage, or even death.
It’s very important to see your healthcare provider if you suspect that you have an aneurysm. If you have signs of a ruptured aneurysm, seek emergency medical care right away.
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Types of Aneurysms
Aneurysms can occur anywhere in the body. Common types of aneurysms include:
Aneurysm Symptoms
The symptoms of an aneurysm vary greatly depending on which type of aneurysm a person has.
Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) Symptoms
An abdominal aortic aneurysm may not involve any symptoms at all.In fact, most people with an AAA do not have symptoms unless the aneurysm ruptures. But a large aneurysm can put pressure on the organs surrounding the artery, causing symptoms such as:
The pain from an AAA is often experienced as throbbing, aching, or gnawing deep pain that may last hours or days. The pain does not increase with movement, but some positions of the body can impact the pain (such as lying on the back).
The symptoms are similar to those of:
Factors Influencing Aortic Aneurysm Outcomes
Ruptured Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Symptoms
If an abdominal aortic aneurysm ruptures, it can cause symptoms such as:
A ruptured aortic aneurysm can very quickly result in death, particularly if emergency treatment is not provided.Symptoms of a ruptured aortic aneurysm are sometimes mistaken for a heart attack because many of the symptoms are similar.
Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm Symptoms
Just like an abdominal aortic aneurysm, symptoms of a thoracic aortic aneurysm may not be present unless the aneurysm is large, or in instances where the aneurysm ruptures.
When symptoms do occur, they differ depending on the size, location, and rate of progression (growth) of the aneurysm.
Symptoms of a large thoracic aneurysm may include:
Symptoms that may indicate that a thoracic aneurysm has ruptured include:
Note, sudden severe pain linked with a thoracic aneurysm could be fatal without immediate emergency medical intervention.
Cerebral (Brain) Aneurysm Symptoms
Most unruptured cerebral aneurysms are asymptomatic, meaning there are no symptoms unless the aneurysm becomes very large. When a cerebral aneurysm does become large in size, it increases pressure on the nerves or brain tissue adjacent to the aneurysm.
Symptoms of large brain aneurysms may include:
People have described the pain associated with a ruptured aneurysm as the worst headache ever experienced.
Symptoms of a ruptured cerebral aneurysm—which causes bleeding of the brain (also called asubarachnoid hemorrhage)—include:
Any symptoms of a cerebral aneurysm require prompt medical intervention, but a ruptured brain aneurysm can be life threatening if immediate emergency care is not provided.
Causes of an aneurysm include any factors that damage or weaken the artery walls, for example:
Other risk factors linked with the development of aneurysms include:
Genetics
People with an inherited condition calledMarfan syndromehave a higher risk of developing aneurysms.Also, a person with a family history of heart attacks and other types of heart disease is at higher risk of having an aneurysm than those who do not have a genetic link to heart disease.
Most often, aneurysms are found during screening for other types of illnesses. Regular aneurysm screening tests are available for those who are at risk of having an aneurysm, even when symptoms are not present.
Those who have had a diagnosis of an aneurysm need to have close medical supervision to ensure that the aneurysm isn’t growing larger, which increases the risk of a ruptured aneurysm.
Tests
Common diagnostic tests used to identify aneurysms include:
The treatment of an aneurysm depends on several different factors, including the size, location, and type of aneurysm.
Treatment modalities—such as surgery—are dependent on the location of the aneurysm (those in some locations of the brain may be inoperable), as well as the severity of the aneurysm.
Prevention
Several preventive measures aim at lowering the risk of getting aneurysms, as well as slowing down the progression of existing aneurysms. Because aneurysms are largely linked with unhealthy lifestyle factors, there are many things that a person can do to help with prevention measures, such as:
The prognosis (outcome) of treatment for an aneurysm is dependent on many factors, such as where the aneurysm is located, the size of the aneurysm, and whether it has ruptured.
A Word From Verywell
Having the knowledge that you have some type of aneurysm can be very stressful. While it’s vital to pay attention to your symptoms, it’s also important to avoid obsessing about your illness.
11 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Heart Association.What is an aneurysm?National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.Aortic aneurysm symptoms.Kim Y, Ghaly P, Iliopoulos J, Leslie GJ, Ahmad M.Management of an inflammatory abdominal aortic aneurysm causing ureteric obstruction: a case report.Journal of Surgical Case Reports. 2020;2020(11):rjaa457. doi:10.1093/jscr/rjaa457Stanford Healthcare.Abdominal aortic aneurysm symptoms.MedlinePlus.Abdominal aortic aneurysm.Keisler B, Carter C.Abdominal aortic aneurysm.afp. 2015;91(8):538-543.American Stroke Association.What you should know about cerebral aneurysms.National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.Aortic aneurysm causes and risk factors.National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.Marfan syndrome.Musunuru K, Hershberger RE, Day SM, et al.Genetic testing for inherited cardiovascular diseases: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association.Circ: Genomic and Precision Medicine. 2020;13(4):e000067. doi:10.1161/HCG.0000000000000067National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.Aortic aneurysm diagnosis.
11 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Heart Association.What is an aneurysm?National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.Aortic aneurysm symptoms.Kim Y, Ghaly P, Iliopoulos J, Leslie GJ, Ahmad M.Management of an inflammatory abdominal aortic aneurysm causing ureteric obstruction: a case report.Journal of Surgical Case Reports. 2020;2020(11):rjaa457. doi:10.1093/jscr/rjaa457Stanford Healthcare.Abdominal aortic aneurysm symptoms.MedlinePlus.Abdominal aortic aneurysm.Keisler B, Carter C.Abdominal aortic aneurysm.afp. 2015;91(8):538-543.American Stroke Association.What you should know about cerebral aneurysms.National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.Aortic aneurysm causes and risk factors.National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.Marfan syndrome.Musunuru K, Hershberger RE, Day SM, et al.Genetic testing for inherited cardiovascular diseases: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association.Circ: Genomic and Precision Medicine. 2020;13(4):e000067. doi:10.1161/HCG.0000000000000067National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.Aortic aneurysm diagnosis.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
American Heart Association.What is an aneurysm?National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.Aortic aneurysm symptoms.Kim Y, Ghaly P, Iliopoulos J, Leslie GJ, Ahmad M.Management of an inflammatory abdominal aortic aneurysm causing ureteric obstruction: a case report.Journal of Surgical Case Reports. 2020;2020(11):rjaa457. doi:10.1093/jscr/rjaa457Stanford Healthcare.Abdominal aortic aneurysm symptoms.MedlinePlus.Abdominal aortic aneurysm.Keisler B, Carter C.Abdominal aortic aneurysm.afp. 2015;91(8):538-543.American Stroke Association.What you should know about cerebral aneurysms.National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.Aortic aneurysm causes and risk factors.National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.Marfan syndrome.Musunuru K, Hershberger RE, Day SM, et al.Genetic testing for inherited cardiovascular diseases: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association.Circ: Genomic and Precision Medicine. 2020;13(4):e000067. doi:10.1161/HCG.0000000000000067National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.Aortic aneurysm diagnosis.
American Heart Association.What is an aneurysm?
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.Aortic aneurysm symptoms.
Kim Y, Ghaly P, Iliopoulos J, Leslie GJ, Ahmad M.Management of an inflammatory abdominal aortic aneurysm causing ureteric obstruction: a case report.Journal of Surgical Case Reports. 2020;2020(11):rjaa457. doi:10.1093/jscr/rjaa457
Stanford Healthcare.Abdominal aortic aneurysm symptoms.
MedlinePlus.Abdominal aortic aneurysm.
Keisler B, Carter C.Abdominal aortic aneurysm.afp. 2015;91(8):538-543.
American Stroke Association.What you should know about cerebral aneurysms.
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.Aortic aneurysm causes and risk factors.
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases.Marfan syndrome.
Musunuru K, Hershberger RE, Day SM, et al.Genetic testing for inherited cardiovascular diseases: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association.Circ: Genomic and Precision Medicine. 2020;13(4):e000067. doi:10.1161/HCG.0000000000000067
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.Aortic aneurysm diagnosis.
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