Emilia Clarke, who is famously known for playing female lead protagonist Daenerys Targaryen in the renowned series Game of Thrones, recently opened up about her battle with brain aneurysm that she suffered twice a few years back, in an interview with the BBC on Sunday.
In the interview, which was a part of her promotional duties for her upcoming film The Seagull, she revealed that she has suffered brain aneurysms twice, the first time in the year 2011 and then again in 2013. “The amount of my brain is no longer usable. It’s remarkable that I am able to speak, sometimes articulately and live my life completely normally with absolutely no repercussions. I am in the really, really, really small minority of people that can survive that,” she said.
Since the interview, the disease has been drawing the internet’s attention and making netizens curious about brain aneurysms.
According to a report by Mayoclinic, a brain aneurysm is a bulging or ballooning in a blood vessel in the brain. It is a weak area in the blood vessel’s wall that occasionally ruptures and results in a subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH).
Due to the steady flow of blood, that weak portion of the blood vessel wears out and bulges out, nearly like a bubble. It can expand to be as big as a tiny berry. Aneurysm ruptures can be fatal and need immediate medical attention.
There are two types of Brain Aneurysm:
1. Fusiform Aneurysms: They make a widened spot in the blood vessel and aren’t very common unlike the other type of Brain Aneurysms.
2. Saccular Aneurysms: It is a very common kind of Brain Aneurysm that bulges out in a dome shape and is interconnected to the artery by a thin neck.
https://www.webmd.com/brain/brain-aneurysm
Symptoms and treatment for ruptured aneurysm:
Symptoms:
- Confusion
- Loss of consciousness
- Seizure
- Drooping eyelid
- Sensitivity to light
- Headache
- Blurred or double vision
- Stiff neck
- Nausea and vomiting
Treatment:
- Endovascular coiling
- Surgical clipping
- Flow diverter surgery
Symptoms and treatment for unruptured aneurysm:
Symptoms
- Numbness on one side of the face
- A dilated pupil
- Change in vision or double vision
- Pain behind as well as above the eye
Treatment:
In case of unruptured brain aneurysms, the treatment varies as per the scale of risk. Have a meeting with your doctor to ensure you understand the best options for your case.
