According to the Colorado Neurological Institute, only about 40% of people with unruptured aneurysms will experience cerebral aneurysm symptoms.

If that is the case, how might you be better prepared to identify your risk for a cerebral aneurysm?

First, it is about family history. Do you have an immediate family member diagnosed with and aneurysm, even if it was a lifestyle factor or event that lead to the rupture or finding of the aneurysm?

Second, what about lifestyle factors? Most aneurysms have a connection to a lifestyle factor like elevated blood pressure for a prolonged time, or atherosclerosis (fatty arteries leading to hardening of the arteries).

When symptoms of an unruptured brain aneurysm do occur, you may think it is just a headache, or you are light sensitive because you are tired, or maybe you say something like, “I have been inside all day.” Yet these may be signs of something more insidious. Ninety-eight percent of the time, you were right — it WAS just a headache, and spending a lot of time indoors with artificial light can make the outdoors seem all the more bright.

While some symptoms of an unruptured cerebral aneurysm can be written off as the results of stress or exhaustion. When these symptoms accompany physical symptoms like double vision or blurry vision, you may want to speak to your healthcare provider.

Ignoring these symptoms is not wise and may result in serious consequences if the aneurysm ruptures. The symptoms may be caused by something simple and unrelated to an aneurysm. But it’s best to have a proper evaluation by your physician to determine the cause of the symptoms and the best course of action to take.