What Is an AVM? Understanding AVMs, Aneurysms, and Strokes

When it comes to brain health, terms like AVM, aneurysm, and stroke often get mentioned together, and for good reason. They’re all related to blood vessels in the brain, but they’re not the same thing. Understanding the differences and how they connect is important not only for awareness but also for saving lives.

🧠 What Is an AVM?

An Arteriovenous Malformation (AVM) is a tangle of abnormal blood vessels in the brain, spinal cord, leg, or really anywhere! In a healthy system, arteries carry blood into smaller capillaries, which then pass it into veins. But with an AVM, that middle step is skipped. Instead, arteries connect directly to veins in a messy knot of vessels.

Because these vessels are weak and fragile, they’re prone to rupture. When they do, blood leaks, often causing sudden and severe medical emergencies.

Common symptoms may include:

• Severe headaches

• Seizures

• Neurological changes (like weakness or vision problems)

• Or sometimes, no symptoms at all until a rupture happens

💥 What Is an Aneurysm?

An aneurysm is a weak, bulging spot in a blood vessel wall. Picture it like a balloon that keeps stretching; eventually, it may burst.

Not everyone with an AVM has an aneurysm, but the two can be connected. The abnormal pressure inside AVMs sometimes causes aneurysms to form nearby. Mine has 3 brain aneurysms, inside my thalamus!

When an aneurysm ruptures, blood spills into the brain, and just like with an AVM bleed, it’s a medical emergency that requires immediate attention.

⚡ What Is a Stroke?

A stroke happens when blood flow to part of the brain is disrupted. There are two main types:

• Ischemic Stroke: Caused by a clot or blockage that cuts off blood supply, these account for 85% of strokes.

• Hemorrhagic Stroke: Caused by bleeding into the brain when a vessel ruptures, these account for 15% of stroke.

This is where AVMs and aneurysms tie in. If either one ruptures, it typically leads to a hemorrhagic stroke. The severity depends on the location and the amount of bleeding, but the effects can include paralysis, speech difficulties, memory problems, or even life-threatening emergencies.

🔗 How They’re Connected

• An AVM is an abnormal cluster of vessels.

• An aneurysm is a weak, bulging vessel (sometimes found alongside an AVM).

• A stroke is the result of blood flow being interrupted, and both AVMs and aneurysms can cause it.

In other words: AVMs and aneurysms are conditions, while stroke is often the outcome when they rupture.

🌟 Why Awareness Matters

Many people don’t know they have an AVM or aneurysm until something serious happens. Routine imaging can sometimes catch them early, but most diagnoses happen after symptoms like seizures, sudden headaches, or, in my case, a rupture.

Awareness is powerful. Knowing the signs, asking questions, and pushing for answers can make all the difference. For survivors, understanding these conditions helps in recovery and advocacy. For loved ones, it’s a way to offer real support.

Living with an AVM isn’t simple. It means navigating uncertainty, recovery, and sometimes finding humor in the strangest situations.

But through all of it, awareness and education matter. The more people understand about AVMs, aneurysms, and strokes, the more lives we can protect, and the more support survivors like me can find in their communities.