Causes/Risk Factors
Brain aneurysms develop silently. Some people may have inherited a tendency for weak blood vessels, which may lead to the development of aneurysms. Aneurysms in children are rare, and most aneurysms probably develop as a result of wear and tear on the arteries throughout a person’s lifetime. Occasionally, severe head trauma or infection may lead to the development of an aneurysm.
There are a number of risk factors that contribute to the formation of aneurysms, listed below. Two of the most significant are, fortunately, ones that can be controlled: cigarette smoking and high blood pressure (hypertension).
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- Smoking
- High blood pressure (hypertension)
- Strong family history of brain aneurysms (familial aneurysms)
- Age (over 40)
- Gender: women have an increased risk of aneurysms
- Race: people of color have an increased risk of ruptured aneurysms
- Other disorders: Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease, Marfan syndrome, and fibromuscular dysplasia
- Presence of an arteriovenous malformation (AVM)A particular type of vascular malformation of the brain. An abnormal collection or tangle of arteries and veins located within the substance of the brain in which a maldevelopment of capillaries (which normally connect the arteries and veins) allows a high flow short cut through the brain.
- Congenital abnormality in the arteryA thick-walled blood vessel carrying blood flow from the heart to any organ of the body, including the brain. wall
- Drug use, particularly cocaine
- Excessive alcohol use
- Infection
- Severe head trauma