brain, spinal cord, and nerve disorders
Brain Aneurysms
Symptoms of Brain Aneurysms
Most cerebral aneurysms do not cause symptoms unless they are large or rupture. Larger unruptured cerebral aneurysms can push on brain tissue and nerves and cause headache, which may feel pounding in time with the pulse (pulsatile). Less often, people may have dilated pupils and/or symptoms of a stroke, such as weakness or paralysis on one side of the body. People with aneurysms caused by bacterial or fungal infection may have a fever and lose weight. Rupture of a cerebral aneurysm causes a Subarachnoid Hemorrhage (SAH) with an immediate, severe headache. The pain reaches its peak intensity within seconds. It is sometimes described as coming on like a thunderclap and "the worst headache ever experienced." A ruptured aneurysm may also cause nausea, vomiting, a stiff neck, sensitivity to light, loss of consciousness, and/or seizures. If the ruptured aneurysm bleeds into the brain tissue ( Intracerebral Hemorrhage ), people often develop a 