Awareness of Unruptured Aneurysm Diagnosis Increases Risk for Mental Illness

Incidence rate of mental illness higher among those with UIA, especially in younger age groups

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, Aug. 26, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Patients with untreated unruptured intracranial aneurysms (UIAs) have an increased risk for mental illness, according to a study published in the September issue of Stroke.

Young Goo Kim, M.D., Ph.D., from the Ewha Womans University College of Medicine in Seoul, South Korea, and colleagues conducted a retrospective, propensity score-matched cohort study to examine the association between a diagnosis of UIA and development of mental illness. Participants newly diagnosed with UIA between 2011 and 2019 were included in the UIA diagnosis group, and controls included propensity score-matched patients diagnosed with an acute upper respiratory infection without UIA during the same period (85,438 patients with untreated UIAs and 331,123 controls).

The researchers found that the UIA group had a higher incidence of mental illness (113.07 versus 90.41 per 1,000 person-years; hazard ratio, 1.104). There was a slight difference by sex observed in the incidence of mental illness (hazard ratios, 1.131 and 1.082 for men and women, respectively). A U-shaped relationship with age was seen in hazard ratios, with a peak in younger age groups, followed by a decrease in middle age and a slight increase in older age groups, especially for those with severe mental illness receiving psychotherapy.

“Clinicians treating cerebral aneurysms should be aware of the potential psychological burden of such a diagnosis on patients and offer comprehensive support,” the authors write.