Coffee drinking, exercise, a blow to the nose, sexual intercourse, and a lot of pressure on the stool are some of the most common factors causing a brain aneurysm to rupture, according to Stroke.
Aneurysms are pathological dilatations of the arteries, the vessels that supply the tissues with oxygen-rich blood from the heart. They have the shape of a bag or a spindle. Most often they are formed at the branching of an artery, under the influence of blood pressure on a damaged or weakened vessel wall. Aneurysms that enlarge over time can rupture, causing hemorrhages that can be fatal in the abdominal aorta or the brain. Rupture of a brain aneurysm leads to a subarachnoid hemorrhage, compressing the brain tissue at its base.
A team of scientists from the University of Utrecht, led by Monique HM Vlak, on the basis of an analysis of questionnaires filled in by patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage (three weeks after its occurrence) identified eight main factors that could trigger an aneurysm located inside the skull. These types of aneurysms occur in about 2 percent of of the entire population, but not many of them break. Rupture is favored by hypertension, advanced age and female sex.
The most common factors initiating aneurysm rupture are coffee consumption (10,9% of cases that can be linked to some trigger), vigorous exercise (7,9%), a blow to the nose (5,4%), sexual intercourse ( 4,3%), strong stool pressure (3,6%), consumption of caffeinated cola drinks (3,5%), surprise (2,7%) and anger (1,3%) .
As the researchers explain, all these factors cause a sudden and short-term increase in blood pressure, which causes an already tense aneurysm to rupture? However, they do not recommend giving up exercise, as it reduces the risk of many other cardiovascular diseases. However, it is worth limiting coffee consumption and preventing constipation through a proper diet and the use of laxatives.
While the risk of rupture also increases soon after drinking alcohol, it drops back quickly. Few people with an aneurysm have warning symptoms such as vomiting, visual disturbances, loss of consciousness, or severe headaches before an aneurysm rupture – in most people there is no sign of an impending rupture. Fortunately, aneurysms are increasingly being detected early using brain imaging – for example, magnetic resonance imaging (PAP).