BRAIN ANEURYSM AND A STROKE
This page is part of our Brain Aneurysm Resources hub and falls under our Brain Aneurysm and a Stroke page. It is designed for patients seeking clear, reliable, and easy-to-understand information about how aneurysms can increase stroke risk, when strokes occur without aneurysms, and why early screening matters for long-term brain health.
Consult Brain Aneurysm Specialist, Dr. Manish Taneja
Brain aneurysm treatment calls for advanced technology and an experienced doctor. The Supreme Vascular and Interventional Clinic in Singapore is a regional destination for high-quality and compassionate care. Go beyond the basics of the meaning of a brain aneurysm condition, the causes, symptoms, signs, and more.
“Not every brain aneurysm requires the same approach, and not every stroke risk is the same. Learning the difference allows us to guide patients toward the care that best fits their individual risk and long-term brain health.” - Dr. Manish Taneja
A brain aneurysm and a stroke are often mentioned together, but they are not the same condition. However, they are closely connected through the health of the brain’s blood vessels. Understanding how aneurysms influence stroke risk - and how strokes can occur with or without an aneurysm - can help patients recognize warning signs, seek timely care, and make informed decisions about screening and prevention.
This guide is part of our Brain Aneurysm Resources Hub, designed to provide clear, reliable, and easy-to-understand information for patients and families navigating complex vascular conditions. Click on each title to explore the full article.
What Is The Difference Between Brain Aneurysm and a Stroke?
A brain aneurysm is a weakened area in a blood vessel wall that bulges outward. Many aneurysms remain unruptured and cause no symptoms for years. A stroke occurs when blood flow to part of the brain is disrupted, either due to a blockage (ischemic stroke) or bleeding (hemorrhagic stroke).
To understand these distinctions more clearly, see:
🔹 Brain Aneurysm vs Stroke vs AVM: Understanding Brain Bleeds Clearly
This article explains how aneurysms, strokes, and arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) differ in cause, risk, and treatment.
How Brain Aneurysms Increase Stroke Risk
An unruptured aneurysm does not automatically cause a stroke, but it can increase stroke risk under certain conditions, particularly when overall vascular health is compromised.
Learn more in:
🔹 How Brain Aneurysms Affect Stroke Risk
This guide explains how aneurysms may contribute to hemorrhagic stroke through vessel wall weakness, altered blood flow, or rupture highlighting the importance of preventive measures for aneurysm-related strokes.
Key contributing factors include:
High blood pressure (hypertension) placing stress on vessel walls
Changes in blood flow dynamics near the aneurysm
Underlying cardiovascular disease
Smoking, diabetes, and high cholesterol
If an aneurysm ruptures, it causes a hemorrhagic stroke, which is a medical emergency requiring immediate treatment.
Can You Have a Stroke Without a Brain Aneurysm?
Yes. Many strokes occur without any aneurysm involvement and are most commonly caused by blocked arteries or small vessel disease.
For clarity, see:
🔹 Stroke Without Brain Aneurysm
This distinction is important because stroke prevention strategies differ depending on whether an aneurysm is present.
The Role of Hypertension in Brain Aneurysm-Related Stroke
High blood pressure is one of the strongest shared risk factors for both brain aneurysms and stroke. Chronic hypertension weakens blood vessel walls over time, increasing the likelihood of aneurysm growth, rupture, and stroke.
Explore this relationship further in:
🔹 The Intersection of Brain Aneurysms, Hypertension, and Stroke
Managing blood pressure is one of the most effective ways to reduce long-term brain vascular risk.
Brain Aneurysms, Stroke, and Overall Cardiovascular Health
Brain aneurysms are often a sign of systemic vascular disease, meaning the health of the heart and blood vessels throughout the body matters.
Related resources:
🔹 Brain Aneurysms and Their Connection to Cardiovascular Health
🔹 Brain Aneurysm and Heart Attack
Patients with vascular risk factors may benefit from a more comprehensive screening approach rather than focusing on a single condition.
Brain Aneurysms, Stroke, and Overall Cardiovascular Health
Both aneurysms and strokes can affect brain function beyond movement and speech.
You may find these resources helpful:
🔹 Brain Aneurysms and Cognitive Changes
Some aneurysms are discovered incidentally during imaging for unrelated symptoms:
🔹 Silent Signs of Vascular Disease: Why Brain Aneurysms Are Often Found by Accident
Related Conditions That Can Mimic or Complicate Stroke Diagnosis
Certain vascular conditions may present with stroke-like symptoms or coexist with aneurysms.
For example:
🔹 DAVF (Dural Arteriovenous Fistula): An Uncommon Yet Treatable Brain Vascular Condition
Accurate diagnosis is essential to ensure the correct treatment approach.
Stroke Screening, Management, and Prevention
Early detection saves lives. Stroke screening and vascular imaging can identify risks before symptoms become severe.
Helpful guides include:
🔹 Stroke Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis, and Treatments
Recovery and Emotional Health After Aneurysm or Stroke
Recovery doesn’t end with medical treatment. Emotional, cognitive, and physical healing all take time.
Supportive guidance is available here:
🔹 How to Cope After a Traumatic Injury: Brain Aneurysm or Stroke
Understanding Brain Aneurysm Symptoms, Risks, and Prevention
The most effective way on how to prevent brain aneurysm is to reduce the risk of a brain aneurysm is to manage controllable risk factors and maintain long-term vascular health. While not all aneurysms can be prevented, controlling blood pressure, avoiding smoking, and addressing underlying medical conditions can significantly lower the risk of aneurysm formation and rupture. To better protect your brain health, understanding symptoms is just as important as prevention. Click on the sections below to learn more about early warning signs, symptoms in women, and signs of an unruptured and ruptured brain aneurysm.
Early Symptoms of a Brain Aneurysm
Brain aneurysms can be life-threatening, and early recognition of warning signs is crucial. Not all symptoms appear at once, and some may be subtle, but knowing what to look for can save lives.
Here are some possible early symptoms of an unruptured brain aneurysm and some individuals with an unruptured aneurysm may experience one or more of the following:
- Persistent or unusual headaches, especially those that feel different from your usual headache pattern
- Pain behind or around one eye
- Visual changes, including blurred vision, double vision, or difficulty focusing
- Facial numbness, tingling, or weakness
- Neck pain or stiffness
- Dizziness or balance problems
- Difficulty concentrating or subtle cognitive changes
- A general sense that something feels neurologically “off”
These symptoms do not mean that an aneurysm is about to rupture, and most people with these complaints do not have a brain aneurysm. However, new, unexplained, or progressively worsening neurological symptoms should always be assessed, particularly when they do not respond to usual treatments.
We’ve also compiled a collection of resources to help you understand the most common symptoms, risk factors, and considerations for different populations, empowering you to take timely action.
You can also read the full list of Brain Aneurysm warning signs and symptoms.
Unruptured Brain Aneurysm Symptoms
Unruptured Brain Aneurysm Symptoms Include:
- Numbness or weakness on one side of the face
- A drooping eyelid
- Headache
- Blurred or double vision
- Dilated pupil of one eye
- Pain behind and above one eye
Find out more here about the silent but not harmless unruptured brain aneurysm symptoms.
Ruptured Brain Aneurysm Symptoms
Ruptured Brain Aneurysm Symptoms Include:
- As in an unruptured brain aneurysm, blurred or double vision
- A severe, sudden headache, which patients often
- describe as the “worst headache of their life”
- Nausea and/or vomiting
- Stiffness in the neck
- Extreme sensitivity to light
- Seizures
- Loss of consciousness
- Altered mental state or confusion
Note: If you believe someone displays symptoms of a ruptured brain aneurysm, you must seek medical assistance immediately. Timely diagnosis and treatment can improve the chances of survival and reduce severe complications due to a debilitating stroke, for example. Read more here about early and progressive ruptured brain aneurysm symptoms.
Brain Aneurysm Symptoms in Women
While there are no symptoms that occur only in women and not in men when it comes to brain aneurysms, women are approximately 2–3 times more likely than men to have an intracranial (brain) aneurysm. The difference becomes more pronounced after age 50, particularly post-menopause. Women also have a slightly higher lifetime risk of rupture.
Symptoms are determined by:
- Whether the aneurysm is ruptured or unruptured
- Its size and location
- Whether it is pressing on nearby nerves or brain tissue
Read how females have a higher risk and what are the key differences between men and women when it comes to brain aneurysms.
Explore the Full Brain Aneurysm Resource Library
For easy access to all of our educational materials, visit:
🔹 Your Guide to Exploring Our Brain Aneurysm Resources
This hub brings together everything you need to stay informed, whether you’re learning for yourself, supporting a loved one, or simply taking a proactive approach to brain health.
Take the Next Step Toward Protecting Your Brain Health
You should consider speaking with a stroke and brain aneurysm specialist in Singapore if you have:
A known brain aneurysm
A family history of stroke or aneurysm
High blood pressure or cardiovascular disease
New or unexplained neurological symptoms
Dr. Manish Taneja at the Supreme Vascular and Interventional Clinic provides comprehensive evaluation, advanced imaging, and individualized treatment plans focused on prevention, precision, and patient confidence.
Suffering from an intense headache is not only painful, but it can also be dangerous. Either a brain aneurysm or a stroke could be the cause. And either could be fatal. As such there can be confusion or overlap between the two. View all our Brain Aneurysm videos.
Put Brain Aneurysm on Your Health Radar
Did you experience the worst headache of your life? Could it be a brain aneurysm that ruptures, which means bleeding in the brain? Thoughts could be racing through your mind. Then what is the difference between unruptured (a weak or thin spot on an artery in the brain that balloons) or ruptured brain aneurysm? An unruptured brain aneurysm may cause subtle warning signs, such as pain or numbness on one side of the face, while symptoms of a ruptured brain aneurysm can include intense headache, loss of consciousness, and the leakage of blood into the cerebrospinal fluid when an aneurysm ruptures. If you’re wondering, then the Supreme Vascular and Interventional Clinic in Singapore is here to help. It’s important to look out for the tell-tale brain aneurysm symptoms, signs, causes, and risk factors.
At our specialized brain aneurysm clinic in Singapore, we help patients understand how conditions such as an arteriovenous malformation, high blood pressure, and weaknesses in the artery wall of a blood vessel or vessel in the brain can increase the risk of a brain aneurysm. Certain risk factors, including Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) and polycystic kidney disease (PKD), can further weaken blood vessels and raise the likelihood of rupture.
Dr. Manish Taneja has been performing brain aneurysm treatments offering personalized treatment options since 1995 from surgical clipping where the aneurysm is completely clipped to stop blood flowing into the weakened area, which prevents blood from re-entering the aneurysm sac and reduces the risk of future bleeding to latest minimally invasive procedures. Each patient is unique as is the size and location of the aneurysm. Your brain has different conditions to treat the aneurysm and artery vessel walls of a blood vessel in the brain. This calls for personalised brain aneurysm treatment depending on your symptoms, family, history, medication, and more. A simple CT scan could be just what the doctor ordered and the first step in early detection and prevention of a brain aneurysm. Come in for an easy consultation with our brain aneurysm specialist in Singapore to be on your health radar.
Stroke Resources
Stroke Prevention Tips: How to Avoid High Cholesterol
Controllable risk factors are lifestyle choices that can be changed to reduce the risk of having a stroke including managing your cholesterol.
We’ve Got You Covered for Specialized Stroke Screening, Prevention, and Management
Imagine heart attacks where the blood flow to your heart is blocked. Similarly, a stroke occurs when the blood flow to your brain is interrupted becoming a “brain attack”, affecting a blood vessel and surrounding brain function. When blood supply does not reach a certain part, brain cells begin to die. Different types of stroke include ischemic strokes or a mini stroke, a TIA (transient ischemic attack). Common risk factors include high blood pressure, which increases strain on the blood vessel and raises the likelihood of a stroke. Symptoms can vary, but may include difficulty in speaking and other changes depending on how blood flow is affected. Understanding risk factors and acting early can make a difference. It’s important to work closely with a specialist to monitor your health and reduce stroke risk.
Other Health Conditions
The Supreme Vascular and Interventional Clinic is your "go-to" facility for various neurological conditions and pain management. To arrange an appointment with Dr. Manish Taneja, our brain aneurysm specialist, contact us. You can also call us at (+65) 6904 8084 for a consultation.