Causes of Brain Aneurysms

Epidemiologic studies have identified certain risk factors associated with brain or intracranial aneurysms (IA). The genetic factors include a family history and the presence of certain heritable tissue disorders such as Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, Marfan’s syndrome, neurofibromatosis, and polycystic kidney disease. Only about 5% of all IA cases are associated with heritable connective tissue disorders, which cause blood vessel wall defects in various ways.

The acquired factors include smoking, hypertension, traumatic brain injury, and sepsis. Although acquired factors are not as strongly associated with IA’s, they affect many IA cases and are potentially more manageable. Management of these patients consists of prevention, patient screening, and prophylactic aneurysm repair (Pfohman and Criddle, Epidemiology of intracranial aneurysm and subarachnoid hemorrhage. Journal of Neuroscience Nursing 33:39-41,2001).

To see more details, go to: