People with aneurysm have a high risk of anxiety
A new study has found that people who know they have aneurysms (weakened areas in the blood vessels of the brain) are at higher risk for anxiety, as well as developing other mental health conditions. The study was published in Stroke, the peer-reviewed scientific journal of the American Stroke Association.
Aneurysm It is a condition in which there is a bulge in the wall of an artery. Aneurysms form when there is a weak area in the artery wall. Untreated aneurysms can burst and cause internal bleeding. They can also cause blood clots that block blood flow in the artery.
The study says the highest risk was seen in patients under 40, adding that even if the risk is small, the potential for a debilitating rupture of a brain vessel can be a psychological burden.
An unruptured intracranial aneurysm occurs when the wall of a blood vessel in the brain weakens and bulges, posing a potential risk of future rupture and life-threatening bleeding into the brain.
Na-Rae Yang, an associate professor of neurosurgery at Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital in Seoul, South Korea, and co-author of the study, said: “I often see people who are not undergoing surgery but feel fear and/or anxiety about their condition before each imaging or screening test to monitor their condition.”
Even when they are medically judged and told that follow-up observation is the best path for their aneurysm rather than surgery, “they still worry about the very small chance of developing a fatal brain hemorrhage,” Yang added.
During the study, researchers examined data from South Korea’s National Health Information Database, which includes more than 20 years (2004 to 2024) of health data from more than 85,000 people who received care at hospitals, clinics and pharmacies across the country.
More than six months after an aneurysm diagnosis, researchers compared how many people developed a mental health problem, such as anxiety, stress, depression, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, insomnia, and alcohol or drug abuse.
The analysis was conducted over a 10-year period and found that compared to people without an aneurysm, people with an aneurysm were 10 percent more likely to be diagnosed with a mental health disorder. In cases where a psychiatrist diagnosed a mental health disorder, the difference was even greater, with the risk tripling.
“Our finding of an increased rate of a serious mental health condition in young adults with aneurysm underscores the significant psychological burden borne by this group of patients who may already be dealing with other life stressors, such as developing a career and/or raising a family,” Yang said.
Researchers suggest that providing support to help patients cope with the stress of diagnosis may be an important part of comprehensive care.
(With inputs from IANS)
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