A brain aneurysm is a weakened, bulging spot in an artery wall within the brain, often caused by high blood pressure, smoking, or genetic factors that damage vessel walls over time. Untreated ruptures lead to life-threatening subarachnoid haemorrhage, causing severe headache, stroke, or death within hours.
According to Dr. Sai Shiva Tadakamalla, neurosurgeon in LB Nagar, Hyderabad“Most aneurysms stay quiet till they burst. Screening someone with family history matters way more than scrambling once the bleed’s already happened.”
What Are the Main Causes of a Brain Aneurysm?
Artery walls don’t go in a day. Years of pressure. Smoking. Bad genes sometimes. It piles up.
- Hypertension: BP left untreated for a decade quietly thins the wall, one weak spot finally gives.
- Smoking: Biggest fixable cause we see in Indian adults, hands down.
- Family history: Two close relatives with aneurysm and MRA screening after 30 isn’t optional, it’s standard.
- Genetic disorders: PKD, Ehlers-Danlos, Marfan, all born with thinner walls.
Most cases I personally operate have two of these stacked. Sometimes three. Your stack is what decides whether you need a cerebrovascular surgery opinion now, or BP pills and a scan next year.
What Happens If a Brain Aneurysm Is Left Untreated?
Risk doesn’t sit. Wall tears, you stop counting hours. Minutes from there.
- Subarachnoid bleed: Blood pours around the brain, pressure shoots up, skull’s closed so nothing gives.
- Hemorrhagic stroke: Tissue dies fast, weakness or coma in the first hour.
- Vasospasm: Day 4 or 5, other arteries clamp on their own, healthy brain gets starved.
- Rebleeding: Untreated rebleeds in 24 to 48 hours, mortality is far worse the second time around.
Some patients do get warnings days earlier. Brief weakness, a flash of confusion. Looks exactly like a mini stroke. Family puts it on fatigue or low BP. That delay is what fills our ICU.
Dr. Sai Shiva Tadakamalla, Consultant Cerebrovascular and Brain Surgeon”Ones we save are the patients brought in for the first headache, not the second. Time is brain. I keep saying it, people keep ignoring it.”
Why Choose Dr. Sai Shiva Tadakamalla for Brain Aneurysm Treatment?
Dr. Sai Shiva Tadakamalla is a Consultant Brain and Spine Surgeon trained at PGIMER Chandigarh, with a Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Skull Base and Cerebrovascular Surgery. 7 years on aneurysms, AVMs, and tough vascular bleeds. AIR 7 in PGI MCh Neurosurgery, 2021.
Aneurysm clipping, bypass, emergency cerebrovascular surgery at Gleneagles Aware Hospital, LB Nagar, Hyderabad. Worst-of-your-life headache? Family history? Don’t wait it out. Call +91 9490033093.
Noticed any of these symptoms in any of the family member? Do not wait for it to happen again. Consult Dr. Sai Shiva Tadakamalla, Cerebrovascular and Brain Surgeon at Gleneagles Aware Hospital, LB Nagar, Hyderabad.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a brain aneurysm heal on its own without treatment?
No. Aneurysms don’t shrink or heal on their own, monitoring or surgery is needed.
What is the most common cause of brain aneurysm in India?
BP plus smoking. That combination causes most adult cases we see.
How is an unruptured brain aneurysm treated?
Clipping, coiling, or flow diverters, depending on size and where it sits.
Is every brain aneurysm life-threatening?
Not all. Small unruptured ones can be safely watched under specialist follow-up.
References
- NINDS – Cerebral Aneurysms. Available at: https://www.ninds.nih.gov/health-information/disorders/cerebral-aneurysms
- Brain Aneurysm Foundation – Warning Signs and Symptoms. Available at: https://www.bafound.org/understanding-brain-aneurysms/warning-signs-symptoms/
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