Danger! A woman had frequent headaches, and it turned out to be a "ticking time bomb" aneurysm!

Ms. Yu, who works in Changsha, has recently been suffering from frequent headaches. At first, she mistakenly thought that the headaches were caused by a cold, so she took cold medicine on her own, and the symptoms were slightly relieved.

However, recently, Ms. Yu developed persistent splitting headaches without any cause, accompanied by nausea and vomiting, so she went to the emergency department of Hunan Provincial People's Hospital No. 2 accompanied by her family.

After a CTA examination of the head, the doctor found that Ms. Yu had multiple intracranial aneurysms with aneurysm rupture leading to subarachnoid hemorrhage . The situation was urgent, and the doctor immediately performed whole-brain angiography + intracranial aneurysm stent-assisted coil embolization on Ms. Yu. After the operation, Ms. Yu's prognosis was good and her headache symptoms disappeared.

Why did Ms. Yu, who was only 40 years old and had previously been in good health, suffer from an aneurysm? Yang Yongkang, deputy chief physician of the Department of Critical Care Medicine , gave an explanation. He pointed out that an aneurysm is not actually a "tumor", but an abnormal, cystic protrusion on the arterial wall. With the continuous impact of blood flow, the blood vessel wall becomes weaker and weaker, and the cystic protrusion becomes larger and larger, becoming a "time bomb" for cerebral blood vessels. The current factors that cause the disease are:

First, congenital factors : due to genetic factors, the arterial wall develops abnormally.

Second, atherosclerosis : This is one of the common causes, as atherosclerotic plaques destroy the normal structure of the arterial wall.

Third, infection : Certain bacteria, fungi or other pathogens infect the arterial wall, causing an inflammatory response in the arterial wall.

Fourth, trauma : severe trauma directly causes damage to the arterial wall.

Associate Chief Physician Yang Yongkang explained that Ms. Yu’s case should be considered as an aneurysm formed due to abnormal development of the arterial wall caused by congenital factors.

In order to prevent the occurrence of aneurysms, what should we do in our daily lives?

1. Control blood pressure

Monitor blood pressure regularly and maintain systolic blood pressure at 90-120mmhg. Keep daily salt intake below 5g, about the amount of a wine bottle cap, and avoid excessive drinking.

2. Healthy diet

Eat more vegetables and fruits, ensure daily intake of 300-500g of vegetables and 200-350g of fruits, and reduce the intake of high-fat and high-cholesterol foods.

3. Quit smoking

Because smoking damages vascular endothelial cells, leading to reduced elasticity of blood vessel walls.

4. Keep a regular schedule

Ensure adequate sleep, 7-8 hours a day, and avoid staying up late and excessive fatigue.

5. Exercise

Stick to moderate aerobic exercise, such as brisk walking, jogging, swimming, cycling, etc.

6. Regular physical examinations

Regular comprehensive physical examinations can identify diseases early so that they can be treated promptly, especially for people with a similar family history.

Hunan Medical Chat Special Author: Chen Ting, Department of Critical Care Medicine, Hunan Second People's Hospital

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(Edited by YT)