Pilipinas Got Talent Jovit Baldivino grand champion on Friday, December 9 died of brain aneurysm, he was 29 years old. Video clippings surfaced online that the PGT grand champion was in the middle of his last song and was observed gasping for air. After his number, he reportedly collapsed and was rushed to the hospital but after almost 3 days in a state of coma, the singer died.
This is also the case of former That’s Entertainment, singer and actress Isabel Granada, In 2017, she died of brain hemorrhage due to aneurysm at age 41.
Aneurysm is often called by medical experts as the silent killer because it usually comes without symptoms and warning signs.
Worldwide, statistics revealed that around half a million people die each year due to brain aneurysm, half of the victims were younger than 50 years old. Brain aneurysm is prevalent in people aged 35 to 60.
Dr. Willie Ong, who is also called the “Doctor ng bayan”, particularly took his attention to the local facts and figures.
He said that “In the whole world, around 3% have brain aneurysm. In the Philippines, with a population of 100 million, around 3 million have aneurysms, but these people don’t know they have it. Around 15,000 to 30,000 will have a stroke due to brain aneurysm.”
Aneurysm is defined by the medical community as the bulging of a blood vessel or vessels in the body due to the weakening of the walls of the arteries that can lead to rupture, leaking of blood, and sudden death.
Doc Ong compares it to an old bicycle tire that bulges or expands, and then suddenly bursts. When a blood vessel leaks or ruptures, that’s when a person feels the symptoms like the sudden severe headache that’s different from past headaches. An aneurysm survivor compares it to 10 times an ordinary migraine. Other symptoms like neck pain, nausea and vomiting, sensitivity to light, blurring of vision and fainting is also felt by the individual.
An aneurysm survivor who is a member of the Philippine Brain Aneurysm Survivors narrated his experience which started with a severe migraine, as if a baseball bat just hit my head. Rico Principe, founder of the Philippine Brain Aneurysm Survivors himself an aneurysm survivor, in 2013. By sharing their pains and struggles, members have learned to deal with their illness with less fear and more determination.
According to Doc.Ong “Most of the time, it’s asymptomatic and can affect anyone, even the healthy-looking ones and those who practice clean living,”
He enumerates, “Family history, if one have a family member who had aneurysm, high or uncontrolled blood pressure, smoking, drinking, and age”
During an interview, Dr. Alejandro DiazStudies, a neurologist said that a 10mm to one-inch aneurysm is small and has no cause for alarm but risk factors like smoking can trigger blood vessels to rupture which has been proven to cause an aneurysm to become larger
Dr. Diaz also noted that another important factor is high blood pressure. He advises his patients to have their BP checked as hypertension generally has no symptoms.
Moreover, imaging tests, such as CT scan, MRI angiography, ultrasound, can diagnose an aneurysm.
Dr. Diaz advised people on binge drinking on weekends, he said it’s dangerous and it can be fatal.
Also, Doc Willie Ong, prescribed individuals that if they think they have high blood pressure, get treatment immediately. He also suggested not forgetting to take their maintenance medicines.
Doc. Ong sees the holiday season as a potentially stressful event and can cause a sudden spike in blood pressure, he advised individuals to “Keep their cool, don’t get mad or be hot-headed. Avoid alcohol and smoking and most of all be good, be forgiving”.
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