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It kills nearly as many people annually as AIDS or breast cancer, yet you likely have never discussed it with your doctor.

Brain Aneurysm is a dilation of the large blood vessels that supply oxygen to the brain. Just as a person with a loss of blood flow to the heart is said to be having a heart attack, one who is suffering a loss of blood flow to the brain – or sudden bleeding in the brain – is said to be having a "brain attack." And as with a heart attack, immediate diagnosis and treatment are vital to survival.

Getting to know B.A.D. Little is known about Brain Aneurysm Disease (B.A.D.), yet what we do know is alarming. Historically, B.A.D. affected patients over 50 years of age. Over the past few years, the age of diagnosis has dropped to 40. Most troubling of all: B.A.D. is affecting children much more commonly than ever before.

The critical factor in preventing loss of life and complications associated with brain aneurysm disease is the timing of diagnosis and surgery. Immediate diagnosis and treatment can mean the difference between life and death. Just as early detection of breast cancer with mammography can save a life, so can early detection of a brain aneurysm.

Runs in families. There is little awareness of the risk factors and available diagnostic tests. Some screening tests are even available as early as birth to identify children who are susceptible to this disease. B.A.D. runs in families, and some neurologists may suggest screening all family members when one family member is diagnosed with B.A.D.

The sudden onset of a headache can signal the onset of a ruptured aneurysm in children. (Even adults often report that it is the worst headache they've ever had). The headache is usually accompanied by vomiting, neck stiffness, loss of consciousness, seizures, changes in vision, drooping eyelids and numbness of the face. A rupture usually occurs while a person is active rather than asleep. Many of these symptoms are often misunderstood for migraine headaches and thus go untreated and undiagnosed.

Not a guessing game. But determining a life-threatening emergency in a child shouldn't be a guessing game. Parents should know the warning signs of headaches (see the Headeache box on our home page). If these warning signs apply to your child, be certain that your primary care professional asks careful questions to determine if your child has a headache that could be a symptom of an underlying brain mass like an aneurysm.

Detection can save lives. But that simple lack of awareness keeps parents from understanding the risks, from pinpointing the warning signs, and from identifying the potentially devastating cause of something as innocent as a child's headache.

Is your child a time bomb just waiting to go off? Don't wait until it's too late to find out.