People with aneurysm at high mental health condition risk: Study

NEW YORK: People who know they suffer from aneurysms (weakened areas in brain blood vessels) are at a great anxiety risk, along with developing certain other mental health conditions, scientists reported on Monday.

The highest risk was seen in patients younger than age 40, according to research published in Stroke, the peer-reviewed scientific journal of the American Stroke Association, adding that even if the risk is small, the potential of a debilitating brain vessel rupture may be a psychological burden.

An unruptured intracranial aneurysm occurs when the wall of a blood vessel in the brain becomes weak and bulges out, posing a potential risk of future rupture and life-threatening bleeding in the brain.

“I often see people who do not undergo surgery yet feel fear and/or anxiety about their condition before each imaging or screening test to monitor their condition,” said study co-author Na-Rae Yang, an assistant professor of neurosurgery at Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital in Seoul, South Korea.

Even when it is medically judged and explained that follow-up observation is the best course for their aneurysm rather than surgery, “they still worry about the very slim chance of developing a fatal brain bleed,” Yang added.

During the study, researchers examined data from the National Health Information Database in South Korea, which includes over 20 years (2004 to 2024) of health data for more than 85,000 people who received care from hospitals, clinics and pharmacies throughout the country.

More than six months after diagnosis with an aneurysm, researchers compared how many people developed a mental health condition, such as anxiety, stress, depression, bipolar and eating disorders, insomnia and alcohol or drug misuse.

The analysis took place over a 10-year period. It found that, when compared to people without an aneurysm, people with an aneurysm were 10 per cent more likely to be diagnosed with a mental health condition.

In cases where a mental health condition was diagnosed by a psychiatrist, the difference was even greater, showing a three-fold increased risk.

“Our finding of a higher rate of a severe mental health condition in younger adults with aneurysm underscores the significant psychological burden for this group of patients who may already be dealing with other life stressors, such as building their career and/or raising a family,” Yang noted.

The researchers suggest providing support to help patients cope with the stress of the diagnosis may be an important part of comprehensive care.