(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- People with a common heart defect may also be
more likely to have brain aneurysms.
Up to 2 percent of the population is born with the heart defect called a
bicuspid aortic valve (BAV). In a healthy heart, the aortic valve allows
blood to flow from the heart to the aorta. It normally has three flaps that
open and close to regulate blood flow. In people with a bicuspid aortic
valve, the valve does not develop fully during gestation and there are two
flaps instead of three.
Some people with BAV never have any problems, but many develop narrowing or
leakage of the aortic valve, especially as adults.
Recent research has shown that the artery problems with BAV may also occur
in the brain, and that BAV may be a connective tissue disorder. Brain
aneurysms are a weakening in a brain artery that causes a bulge in the
artery.
"Since brain aneurysms are a treatable problem that can lead to death and
disability if they rupture, we wanted to find out how common they are in
people with BAV," study author Wouter Schievink, M.D., Director of
Microvascular Neurosurgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles,
Calif., was quoted as saying.
Sixty-one people with BAV were screened for brain aneurysms, along with 291
people who did not have BAV but were undergoing scans for a suspected stroke
or brain tumor during the same time period.
Six of the 61 people with BAV had brain aneurysms, compared to three of the
291 people who did not have BAV. Studies have shown that 0.5 to two percent
of the general adult population has brain aneurysms.
Dr. Schievink said the heart defect has been shown to cluster in families,
and screening is generally recommended for close family members of people
diagnosed with bicuspid aortic valves.
"While more research needs to be done to confirm these results," Schievink
said, "these findings show a significant increased risk of brain aneurysms
in people with bicuspid aortic valves."
SOURCE: Neurology, May 4, 2010
