People living with unruptured brain aneurysms may have an increased risk for mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression, a new study from South Korea suggests. The risk is especially high among people under 40. The study , published Monday in the American Heart Association journal Stroke, highlighted the need for better mental health support for people who have been diagnosed with aneurysms but whose conditions were only being monitored.
"As a neurosurgeon who treats cerebral aneurysms, I often see people who do not undergo surgery yet feel fear and/or anxiety about their condition before each imaging or screening test," study co-author Dr. Na-Rae Yang said in a news release . Yang is an assistant professor of neurosurgery at Ewha Womans University College of Medicine in Seoul, South Korea.
"Even when it is medically judged and explained that follow-up observation is the best course for their aneurysm rather than surgery, they still worry about the very slim chance of developing a fatal brain bleed," Yang said. Unruptured intracranial aneurysms are weakened blood vessels in the brain that bulge, which can lead to a rupture and life-threatening brain bleed. An aneurysm can be diagnosed through imaging, such as a CT scan or MRI, to evaluate neurological symptoms, including headaches or vision changes.
Roughly 168 million people worldwide have unruptured brain aneurysms. Research shows up to 67% of brain aneurysm ruptures are fatal. Even when they are not, the ruptu.