Ted Kennedy surprised the convention crowd Monday night by standing and delivering a vigorous speech despite battling a fast-growing form of brain tumor called a glioblastoma multiforme. He’ll always be remembered for his appearance there, and no doubt his courageous fight will increase awareness and the search for a cure for this deadly disease that’s diagnosed in about 9,000 people in the US each year.

A Bomb in the Brain

Last Wednesday, Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones, a Democrat from Ohio, died of a cerebral hemorrhage after an aneurysm in her brain ruptured while she was driving. Just three days later, Obama announced Joe Biden (below, right) as his running mate, and news reports reminded us that a decade ago, Biden was diagnosed with not one, but two, brain aneurysms. He underwent two surgeries to place a titanium clip on the weak bulging spots so they wouldn’t rupture. He was lucky; his aneurysms were identified before they could blow.

REUTERS/John Gress/Files (UNITED STATES) US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN 2008 (USA)

Scary as they sound, brain aneurysms are surprisingly common. The Brain Aneurysm Foundation estimates that as many as 6 million people in the US have one, and most people never even know it. But about 25,000 of those rupture each year, and half of the victims die within minutes. Those who survive can have severe brain damage.

Who Gets Aneurysms?

No one knows for sure why some people develop aneurysms, says Philip M. Meyers, MD. He’s an interventional neuroradiologist (that means he does brain surgery, but from the inside) at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City, where he sees hundreds of cases a year. Women get them more than men, he says, and smokers have a higher risk. Some experts believe that high blood pressure may contribute, too, as well as certain disorders, such as polycystic kidney disease, neurofibromatosis, and a number of other relatively rare conditions. Anyone who’s had one aneurysm, like Biden, is at risk for another, so he should be followed by a doctor for this possibility, says Dr. Meyers.

There’s no cost-effective way to screen for aneurysms in the general population, though, as they rarely cause symptoms before they rupture and may be relatively quick to form. But if even a little blood does leak out of one, it will cause severe pain or pressure in the head, neck stiffness, and sensitivity to light. “The worst headache of your life,” is the way Dr. Meyers’ patients usually describe it.

Surgery from the Inside

Aneurysms can be treated with titanium clips like Biden has, or with a newer minimally invasive technique, which Dr. Meyers does, in which he inserts tiny platinum coils into the bulge in the artery from a microcatheter threaded from the leg all the way up into the brain. The coils seal off the aneurysm, allowing any remaining blood to clot and eventually become a scar. This effectively treats the aneurysm without conventional head-opening surgery and prevents rupturing. A study in The Lancet a few years ago found that patient survival at one year was significantly higher among those who’d had the coiling technique than with those who had the clipping surgery.

Dr. Meyers says there are potential risks with either procedure, and aneurysm patients should consult a specialist on which is best for them. For example, conventional surgery for clipping of an aneurysm in certain areas of the brain could result in minor brain damage, such as personality changes.

“Wow, then could that explain some of the dumb things Biden says?” I blurted out, thinking of the “first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy” gaffe, as well as the recent “Barack America” announcement.

Dr. Meyers replied, “I think that could explain it.” I’m not sure if he was serious. I mean, we all misspeak at times, or say things before we have time to filter them appropriately. What’s my excuse? Not brain surgery!

PS: Of course, Democrats aren't the only ones who've had to deal with brain problems recently. As we wrote in our article this month on the dangers of stopping your medications early, Cindy McCain suffered a stroke after she stopped taking her blood pressure pills four years ago. She's lucky, too, as she recovered, although she still has some short-term memory loss and some difficulty with her right hand.