BATON ROUGE — Brain aneurysms affect millions of people, nearly seven million people in the United States are living with unruptured aneurysms.

A brain aneurysm is a weak spot in a blood vessel that bulges out. If it bursts, it can cause dangerous bleeding within the brain.

Some people are at higher risk. "We think there's likely a genetic component, something that predisposes individuals to developing an aneurysm, and then perhaps a secondary injury to the blood vessel," Mayo Clinic's Dr. Chris Fox said.

Screening is recommended for those who have a close relative with a brain aneurysm.

"That's usually done with an MRI of the blood vessels called an MRI angiogram," Dr. Fox said.

Along with genetics, there are other risk factors.

"The most common things that can cause that are high blood pressure, hypertension, smoking and perhaps some other environmental factors," he said.

Certain drugs can raise blood pressure quickly.

"Illegal, illicit drugs, like cocaine or methamphetamine, can increase the risk of an aneurysm rupture," he said.

And that can be life-threatening, says Dr. Fox.

"That's a neurosurgical emergency. We want to get the aneurysm taken care of and secured as soon as possible," he said.