Most people who have an aneurysm will not have any symptoms until it bursts or puts pressure on the surrounding brain tissue.

Ruptured aneurysms

The most common way for someone to find out that they have an aneurysm is for it to bleed. When blood escapes into the space around the brain, it can cause sudden symptoms.

Call 911 immediately if you experience:

• Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body
• Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
• Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
• Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
• Sudden, severe headache with no known cause

Other symptoms may include: sensitivity to light, neck stiffness, nausea and vomiting.

Unruptured aneurysms

Unruptured aneurysms (that do not bleed) rarely cause symptoms other than headaches. Since aneurysms are typically small in size, usually only one half inch in diameter, symptoms are less likely to occur. However, larger aneurysms can press on the brain or the nerves stemming out of the brain and result in double vision, weakness, numbness, seizures and difficulty speaking.