Scientists Identify 8 Most Common Triggers for Aneurysms

May 6, 2011
Brenda Lane

Learn Possible Triggers for Aneurysm - Flickr Photos by Tanjila

Are you at risk for having an aneurysm? Find out what new research says about common triggers including coffee, hard exercise and constipation.

Could everyday activities like blowing your nose or going to the bathroom cause an aneurysm? In their study published online May 5, 2011 in the journal Stroke, scientists from the Netherlands have found that there may be several everyday activities that are also triggers for an aneurysm.

Causes of Aneurysms Not Known

According to Healthline, an aneurysm is defined as an "abnormal widening or ballooning of a portion of an artery due to weakness in the wall of the blood vessel." People with a history of high cholesterol and high blood pressure are at an increased risk for developing an aneurysm, as well as women during pregnancy. However in comparison to cardiovascular events such as heart attacks, we don't have as much information about the root causes of aneurysms.

The good news is that medical experts may be one step closer to identifying some of the most common ways aneurysms can occur after studying a series of everyday activities and patients who have experienced one.

Dutch Researchers Study Triggers for Aneurysm

Dr. Monique Vlak from the University Medical Center Utrecht and her colleagues surveyed 250 of their patients who had already experienced a subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) about how often they were exposed to several possible triggers in the year prior as well as just before the stroke occurred.

After compiling the results from each patient, the team was able to identify eight possible triggers that increase the likelihood of a ruptured aneurysm. These potential triggers included:

Coffee
Cola
Nose-blowing
Straining to defecate
Startling
Anger
Sexual Intercourse
Physical exercise (strenuous)

The authors note that all of these "triggers induce a sudden and short increase inblood pressure, which seems a possible common cause for aneurysmalrupture." However they emphasize that regular exercise is an important component in reducing the overall risk of other cardiovascular diseases and should not be avoided as a result of their findings.

Preventing an Aneurysm?

The Dutch researchers admit that since the study was retrospective (involving previous experiences) as well as events recalled by patients. As a result, there are limits to being able to draw conclusions from the results about whether these triggers actually do cause an aneurysm to rupture.

So should you be doing anything differently to reduce your chance of having a ruptured aneurysm? Study authors say it is simply too soon for any recommendations. They conclude that "further studies should assess whether reduction of exposure to these factors or measures preventing sudden increase in blood pressure decrease the riskof rupture in patients known to have an intracranial aneurysm."