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Prevalence of intracranial aneurysms in first-degree relatives of patients with aneurysms. Neurosurg Focus 2002 Sep 15;13(3):e2

Date

04/23/2005

Pubmed ID

15844874

DOI

10.3171/foc.2002.13.3.3

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-33645219584 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   12 Citations

Abstract

OBJECT: A familial predisposition toward cerebral aneurysms has been previously described in patients with two or more affected family members. In the present study the familial incidence of unruptured intracranial aneurysms was studied in 96 patients with at least one first-degree relative (parent, sibling, or child) in whom a cerebral aneurysm was diagnosed.

METHODS: All patients were between 20 and 70 years of age and underwent three-dimensional fast-spin echo magnetic resonance imaging. Sixty-one patients (63.5%) were women. The majority of patients (84%) were caucasian and the remainder were Hispanic (13%) or African-American (3%). No patient suffered a medical condition (excluding hypertension and smoking) known to be associated with cerebral aneurysm formation. In four patients at least one aneurysm was found (two harbored multiple aneurysms). Three of the four patients were women. Two of the patients were siblings. The estimated prevalence in first-degree relatives was 4.2% (95% confidence interval 1.2-10.1). Of note, the mean age in the current study population was 39 years. The authors of recent metaanalyses have suggested that the prevalence of nonfamilial aneurysms is approximately 2%, despite earlier reports in which higher figures were cited.

CONCLUSIONS: The authors conclude that first-degree relatives of patients with aneurysms are at higher risk for harboring an intracranial aneurysm.

Author List

Wang MC, Rubinstein D, Kindt GW, Breeze RE

Author

Marjorie Wang MD Clinical Transformation Officer, Professor in the Neurosurgery department at Medical College of Wisconsin




MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Adult
Aged
Confidence Intervals
Female
Humans
Intracranial Aneurysm
Male
Middle Aged
Prevalence
Prospective Studies
Risk Factors