Brain aneurysms can be similar to heart attacks. Just like a person may have no warning of an impending heart attack, there almost is never a warning that a brain aneurysm is about to rupture. Fortunately, through imaging screening techniques,
individuals at high risk of harboring a brain aneurysm can be identified easily with non-invasive imaging tests.
Risk factors for developing brain aneurysms include cigarette use, disorders of the body's structural proteins (Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, Marfan syndrome), fibromuscular dysplasia, chronic hypertension, history of cerebral aneurysms in closely related family members, use of cocaine, crack or amphetamines and polycystic kidney disease.