Ethnic distribution of intracranial aneurysms.

The reported higher incidences of intracranial arterial aneurysms (IAA) in Africa and Asia raised the question of possible racial differences in aneurysm incidence. This prompted a retrospective study of the 244 cases of IAA seen at the Henry Ford Hospital (HFH) from 1979 to 1985. There were 171 whites and 73 blacks in the study group. The results showed a higher white to black case ratio (2.3:1) than the white to black hospital population ratio (1.14:1). If only bleeding aneurysms were considered, there were 81 whites and 52 blacks, with a white to black case ratio of 1.6:1, thus giving only a borderline racial difference. The peak age of aneurysm incidence was the fifth decade for blacks and the sixth decade for whites. The most common aneurysms sites were: [table: see text]