Local family saved by knowing its medical history

April 04, 2016

Dr. Raymond Turner with Caroline Strader and her father, Kevin. Photo by Chris Nelson, The Chart Group

Sometimes a headache is more than a headache. And sometimes knowing some family history can save your life.

The Strader family of Mount Pleasant, S.C., learned that lesson in dramatic fashion.

When 13-year-old Caroline Strader was about 6 or 7, she started experiencing painful headaches, and her parents and doctors couldn’t figure out what caused them. Then during gymnastics class one day when she was 10, Caroline attempted a back flip and landed on her head. Her mom, Amy, took her to a local clinic to be checked for a concussion.

Sometimes a headache is more than a headache. And sometimes knowing some family history can save your life.

The Strader family of Mount Pleasant, S.C., learned that lesson in dramatic fashion.

The procedure is considered a permanent repair, but both Kevin and Caroline need to be scanned again over time to make sure everything is progressing well.

“We’re always at risk for new ones popping up,” Kevin said. “I’ll be Dr. Turner’s patient for life.”

One of the things Caroline and Kevin learned from this experience is not to take aneurysms lightly, because even a small one can cause big problems.

Because of their experience, several members of the Straders’ extended family have had themselves checked for aneurysms, including their older daughter, Reagan.

“I’ve seen too much of my own family have issues,” Kevin said. “Brain aneurysms are somewhat of a silent killer. I’ve learned many people don’t even realize they have them.”

Through this whole experience, the Straders have relied on the expertise of the staff and doctors at MUSC Health.

“MUSC is fantastic,” Kevin said. “They always answer your questions when you call. I tell people, if you’re going to have anything done, you need to go there. I wouldn’t send them anywhere else. Dr. Turner is a life saver.”

And Caroline’s headaches? It turns out the culprit was gluten.

“Since I’ve been cutting out gluten and a lot of other unnecessary ingredients, it’s helped a lot,” she said.

She’s also given up gymnastics, but she said she can blame another family medical trait for that: She inherited her father’s flat feet.

Symptoms and warning signs

As the Straders learned, family history is an excellent harbinger of a potential aneurysm. Sometimes, an aneurysm can happen and cause no symptoms at all, but they can appear on a brain MRA (Magnetic Resonance Imaging with Angiography) or brain CTA (Computed Tomography with Angiography) scan. Before an aneurysm ruptures, you might experience headaches, eye pain or neck pain.

After an aneurysm ruptures, you might experience these symptoms:

Severe headache
Drooping eyelid
Seizures
Impaired speech
Double vision
Numbness
Muscle weakness

Risk factors

Smoking
High blood pressure or hypertension
Congenital, resulting from inborn abnormality in artery wall
Family history of brain aneurysms
Age over 40
Gender: Women compared with men have an increased incidence of aneurysms at a ratio of 3:2
Drug use, particularly cocaine
Infection
Tumors
Traumatic head injury

Source: The Brain Aneurysm Foundation

Family history makes a difference
To know if your family has a history of brain aneurysms, find out if you have two or more first-degree (immediate family) or second-degree relatives (aunt, uncle, niece, nephew, grandparent, grandchild, half-sibling) who have experienced aneurysms.

According to the Brain Aneurysm Foundation, some studies indicate that people with a family history of aneurysms are more likely to have multiple aneurysms and that they are more likely to rupture at a smaller size than people with isolated aneurysms.