An avoidable risk factor associated with intracranial aneurysm development and rupture is cigarette smoking hypertension and alcohol consumption.
The presenting symptoms of aneurysmal SAH are headache (>90% prevalence), nausea/vomiting (45% prevalence), photophobia (50% prevalence), neck stiffness (50% prevalence), altered level of consciousness (50% prevalence) and focal neurologic defict (30% prevalence).
Risk factor modification, especially cigarette smoking and blood pressure control, is essential to influence the natural history of this disease.
Starr Tze
P.S. A patient will be writing his story on how he survived his SAH on www.viewbeyondthetable.com
Stay tuned!
1. International Study of Unruptured Intracranial Aneurysms Investigators: Unruptured intracranial aneurysms: Risk of rupture and risks of surgical intervention. N Engl J Med 1998;
339(24):1725-33.
2. Broderick JP, Brott T, Tomsick T, et al: Intracerebral hemorrhage more than twice as common as subarachnoid hemorrhage. J Neurosurg 1993; 78(2):188-91