Subarachnoid hemorrhage during sexual intercourse

Abstract

Subarachnoid hemorrhage is a leakage of blood, outside the vessel, range to the subarachnoid space. The most common reason of bleeding is intracranial aneurysms. The rupture of aneurysms may occur at the rest, stress, straining, defecation and sexual activity. We report a 51-year old male patient brought to the Emergency Department (ED) with complaints of syncope after waking up. On initial ED evaluation, he was conscious, Glasgow Coma Score was 15/15; and his vital signs, physical and neurological examinations were normal. The patient’s history contains that the syncope occurred during the sexual activity and accompanying symptom was headache. Subarachnoid hemorrhage was detected on computed tomography (CT). He was consulted by a neurosurgeon, and operated for aneurysm. Sometimes patients do not provide adequate information as in our case. This can delay the diagnosis and may increase the mortality and morbidity rates. However, detailed anamnesis and consideration of accompanied signs and symptoms may reveal the rare but fatal causes of syncope like SAH. SAH, as a cause of syncope, should be kept in mind in patients who suffer from syncope.