In the past few days, the lady at the opposite workstation has not been at work, and then I learned that she had a ruptured brain aneurysm and was hospitalized for surgery. She is a 95-year-old who only graduated from college not long ago. In fact, this unfortunate young man is by no means an isolated case, according to the 2016 China Cerebrovascular Disease Forum data statistics, China’s intracranial aneurysm incidence rate of 2% -7%, the potential population is huge, and many of them are young people. Foreign studies show that the overall annual rupture risk of intracranial aneurysms is 0.95%-2%. How does an intracranial aneurysm occur? An intracranial aneurysm is not really a tumor, but a description of a localized cystic dilatation of the arterial walls of the brain that appear to expand outward, resembling a “tumor” on a blood vessel. When the blood inside the tumor fills up to the limit, it may rupture, causing fatal emergencies such as subarachnoid hemorrhage. The normal human blood vessel wall has three layers of tissue, namely the tunica media, the intima media and the endothelium, which fit together to form a blood vessel wall. When the endothelium is injured, the endothelium will become brittle, thickened and uneven, and the intima will have some fibrous connective tissue and even some deformed necrosis. At this point, the blood vessel wall becomes very unhealthy, and under the long-term impact of blood, it gradually expands outward and forms an aneurysm. Who are prone to aneurysm? Information from the official website of the Mayo Medical Center in the United States shows that the cause of intracranial aneurysms is unknown, and that they are more common in adults than in children, and more common in women than in men. A range of factors increase the risk of developing the disease. Some of the risk factors are lifestyle-related and increase with age; others are genetic. Age, smoking, high blood pressure, substance abuse (especially cocaine use) and heavy alcohol consumption increase the risk of intracranial aneurysms. In addition, certain types of aneurysms may occur after a head injury, a blood infection. There are also a number of genetically related risk factors, including: inherited connective tissue disorders, polycystic kidney disease, congenital aortic stenosis, cerebral arteriovenous malformations, and a family history of cerebral aneurysms. Why are young people getting more and more intracranial aneurysms? With the continuous improvement of living standard and changes in lifestyle and dietary structure, the incidence of intracranial aneurysm is increasing year by year, and there is a trend of rejuvenation. It is clinically found that some young people in their twenties and thirties may also get cerebral aneurysms, and these people usually have high blood pressure, irregular life style, long-term heavy smoking, alcoholism, or family history of aneurysm. In addition, aneurysms occur most often in winter and spring, and the recent drastic changes in temperature are also a cause of rupture of intracranial aneurysms. At the change of seasons, the temperature rises steeply, and the weather is hot and muggy, and the air pressure is low; in such weather, people’s emotions fluctuate, and there is a high incidence of cerebral hemorrhage. Are there any signs of a ruptured aneurysm? Once an aneurysm is formed, the vast majority of them will be permanent and may grow gradually, so patients should be vigilant. Intracranial aortic aneurysms can occur in three main ways: 1. Ruptured aortic aneurysm A sudden, severe headache is the main symptom of a ruptured aneurysm. This headache is often described as the worst headache ever. Other common symptoms of a ruptured aneurysm include: sudden, extremely severe headache; nausea and vomiting; neck slanting; blurred or double vision; photosensitivity; seizures; drooping eyelids; loss of consciousness; and confusion. In some cases, an aneurysm may bleed in small amounts. This bleeding will result in a sudden, extremely severe headache, and severe rupture of the aneurysm often follows the bleeding. Serious aneurysm rupture often occurs after blood seepage. Unruptured aneurysm An unruptured brain aneurysm may not produce any symptoms, especially if it is small. Larger, unruptured aneurysms may press on brain tissue and nerves, which may result in: pain in one side of the eye, dilated pupils, changes in vision or double vision, numbness in the face, double vision or double vision, nausea, and other symptoms. Can a ruptured intracranial aneurysm be prevented? People who normally experience occasional dizziness, headache, insufficient blood supply to the mind or blurred vision; middle-aged people aged 40-60, when blood vessels tend to harden and blood pressure is prone to abnormalities; and elderly people suffering from chronic diseases (hypertension, hyperlipidemia, hyperglycemia) should also check their cerebral and cervical blood vessels during physical examinations. Aneurysms can be detected at an early stage and active intervention can be made.