All about brain aneurysms: Neurosurgeon with 26 years of experience explains how serious Kim Kardashian's condition is

While most unruptured aneurysms don't require immediate treatment, consequences of a rupture are severe, with high rates of death and neurological impairment.

Kim Kardashian revealed she's been diagnosed with a brain aneurysm, a weak or thin area in a blood vessel's wall in the brain that balloons up and fills with blood. The 45-year-old reality TV star, actor and entrepreneur attributed this to stress from her divorce with Kanye West, saying her doctors told her stress was likely the cause. She made the revelation in the season 7 premiere of The Kardashians, which dropped on October 22.

Kim Kardashian recently shared she's been diagnosed with a brain aneurysm, saying her doctors told her stress was the likely cause.(AFP)

On October 23, Dr Brian Hoeflinger, a neurosurgeon from Ohio in the US, took to Instagram to discuss Kim Kardashian's medical condition following her announcement. He explained that an aneurysm is a weakness or ballooning of a blood vessel in the brain, which occurs in roughly one in 50 people in the US.

He said, “Kim Kardashian has revealed that she has a brain aneurysm. And so, what is a brain aneurysm, and how common is it? I'm a board-certified neurosurgeon with over 26 years of experience. Let me break it down for you. Well, a brain aneurysm is actually a weakness of a blood vessel in the brain. And think of it like a garden hose, you know, that garden hose can get a weak spot in it. You can get a ballooning off the side of a blood vessel. And that ballooning is called an aneurysm. And it's not that uncommon. About one in 50 people in the US have an unruptured brain aneurysm which is about 6 million people in this country.”

'When a brain aneurysm ruptures, it can be devastating'

According to Dr Hoeflinger, while most unruptured aneurysms do not require immediate treatment due to a low annual rate of rupture, the consequences of a rupture are severe, with high rates of death and neurological impairment. He said, “Now brain aneurysms are actually slightly more common in women and actually rupture a little more commonly in women. But the good news is that the annual rate of rupture is less than 1 percent. So most unruptured aneurysms often don't need treatment. Often, we can just follow them with a follow-up imaging.”

“But ultimately, a lot of factors go into treating an aneurysm, including the size of the aneurysm, location and other things that are taken into consideration to determine if an aneurysm should be treated or not. When a brain aneurysm ruptures, it can be devastating. Up to 50 percent of the people die when they rupture a brain aneurysm. And of the people that survive, 2/3 of those people will have some neurologic deficit,” he added.

Kim Kardashian's openness highlights the importance of managing stress and monitoring vascular health. If you're concerned, consult a healthcare professional. (Made using Gemini AI)

What causes brain aneurysms?

The neurosurgeon listed potential risk factors for developing an aneurysm, such as genetics, high blood pressure, and drug use, while also noting that stress may be a contributing factor if it elevates blood pressure. Dr Hoeflinger said, “We don't know exactly what causes all brain aneurysms, but certainly there are genetic components to it. There can be environmental factors. There can be medical conditions like high blood pressure, atherosclerosis, people who use drugs like cocaine are all at increased risk of developing aneurysm. But some people we don't know why they develop it.”

He added, “Kim Kardashian has said that she thinks it's due to stress in her life, which, if the stress elevates her blood pressure, could be a predisposing factor to the aneurysm. But um, a lot of people have stress, and they don't have aneurysms. So I don't think we'll know for sure why she has the aneurysm unless she gets further testing.”

Kim's openness about her health scare highlights the importance of managing stress and monitoring vascular health. Click here to know some tips to combat stress – from prioritising sleep to journaling your thoughts and having a nutritious meal.

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