An important class of drug used to treat cancer patients could be used to treat brain aneurysms, according to new research published this week.
Brain aneurysms are a bulge in a blood vessel caused by a weakness in the blood vessel wall. As blood passes through the weakened blood vessel, blood pressure causes a small area to bulge outwards.
They can develop anywhere in the body but are most common in the abdominal aorta (the artery that carries blood away from the heart) and the brain.
It’s difficult to estimate exactly how many people are affected by brain aneurysms as they usually cause no symptoms until they rupture, but experts believe it could be anywhere from 1 in 100 to as many as 1 in 20 people.
Read more at University of Sussex
Image Credit: University of Sussex