After several speculations over the health of Chinese Xi Jinping, it has come to light that he is reportedly suffering from cerebral aneurysm and he was hospitalised last year. According to media reports, Jinping has preferred traditional Chinese medicines over surgery as a mode of treatment. In March 2019, Jinping’s gait had an unusual limp which was noticed during his visit to Italy.
According to a report by news agency ANI, during an address to the public in Shenzhen in October 2020, his delay in appearance, slow speech, and coughing spree again led to speculation about his ill health. The report about the Chinese president’s health comes at a time when the country is reeling due to a hike in oil and gas prices and the impact of the ongoing Ukraine conflict.
What is a cerebral aneurysm?
A cerebral aneurysm, also known as an intracranial aneurysm, is a bulge in a blood vessel in the brain. This dilation can become thin and rupture like a blister without any warning.
“If the brain aneurysm expands and the blood vessel wall becomes too thin, the aneurysm will rupture and bleed into the space around the brain. This event is called a subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH) and may cause a haemorrhagic (bleeding) stroke,” Dr. P N Renjen, Advisor Stroke and Neurology, Senior Consultant Neurologist, Indraprastha Apollo Hospital told Financial Express.com.
If ruptured, a brain aneurysm can quickly become life-threatening and requires prompt medical treatment.
How a cerebral aneurysm is diagnosed?
Dr. Renjen revealed that there are several tests available to diagnose brain aneurysms and determine the best treatment. “Tests like Computed tomography (CT), Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), Cerebral angiography and Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis can help identifying the aneurysm, and revealing its size, location and can also tell whether it’s ruptured or not,” he said.
Can a patient survive a cerebral aneurysm?
Dr. Dinesh Chaudhari. Clinical Associate(Neurology), Stroke Fellow, Department of Neurology, Indraprastha Apollo Hospital told Financial Express.com that it is possible for a patient with a brain aneurysm to survive.
“You can live with an aortic aneurysm, and there are many ways to prevent dissection or worse, a rupture. Newer treatment options mean aneurysms are no longer an automatic death sentence,” Dr. Chaudhari said.
What is the cause of a cerebral aneurysm?
According to the doctors, cerebral aneurysms form when the walls of the arteries in the brain become thin and weaken. “Aneurysms typically form at branch points in arteries because these sections are the weakest. Sometimes, cerebral aneurysms may be present from birth, usually resulting from an abnormality in an artery wall,” Dr. Renjen told Financial Express.com.
Dr. Renjen informed that sometimes cerebral aneurysms are the result of inherited risk factors. It can also form due to other risk factors that develop over time like untreated high blood pressure, smoking, drug abuse. It is noteworthy that intravenous drug abuse is a cause of infectious mycotic aneurysms.
“There are certain lesser common risk factors like head trauma, brain tumor or infection in the arterial wall (mycotic aneurysm),” he added.
“High blood pressure, cigarette smoking, diabetes, and high cholesterol puts one at risk of atherosclerosis (a blood vessel disease in which fats build up on the inside of artery walls), which can increase the risk of developing a fusiform aneurysm,” Dr. Chaudhri said.
What is the statistic of its occurrence in India?
In India, around 76,500-204,100 new cases of cerebral aneurysms are reported every year. According to a report by Neurology India, It is still not know how many of these patients with cerebral aneurysms receive appropriate treatment.
“Since intracranial aneurysms are most prevalent between 35 and 60 years of age and about 40% of the ruptures are fatal, a great number of disability-adjusted life years are lost. Added to this is the fact that about 62% of the population in India is under 60 years of age,” the study stated.
What are the symptoms of brain aneurysms?
According to doctors and health experts, the majority of the patients with brain aneurysms show no symptoms. However, sometimes certain symptoms occur like headaches (rare, if unruptured), eye pain, vision changes, and diminished eye movement. When a person is diagnosed with a cerebral aneurysm, he or she may experience stiff neck, nausea and vomiting, drowsiness, dilated pupils, loss of consciousness, loss of balance or coordination, sensitivity to light, and back or leg pain.
