Introduction: Comparison of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) and non-ruptured aneurysm (NRA) patients is essential for improving the management of NRA, because it allows identifying those aneurysms that have a higher risk for rupture. The aim of the present work is to compare demographic and clinical data between SAH patients and NRA patients.

Material and methods: A retrospective case series analysis was conducted, analyzing demographical and clinical data, applying parametric and non-parametric tests, considering as statistically significant a p-value of 0.05. Patients with SAH without aneurysm were excluded.

Results: One hundred and forty nine SAH patients and 88 NRA patients were analyzed. Among the demographic features, only a higher prevalence of hypercholesterolemia in NRA group was statistically significant. Bearing in mind the location of the aneurysm there was no difference when considering anterior and posterior circulation between the studied groups, but when specific locations were analyzed, anterior communicating (Acom) and posterior communicating (Pcom) aneurysms were more common in SAH patients while intracavernous carotid aneurysm were more frequent in NRA patients. SAH patients had a faster treatment timing (4.12 days, SD = 8.18) tan NRA (190.36 days SD = 643.88). Furthermore, larger proportion of NRA patients did not finally received specific treatment for the aneurysm.

Conclusions: Acom and Pcom aneurysms tend to rupture more frequently than other locations. On the contrary, intracavernous location has the lowest risk of rupture. Finally, patients with hypercholesterolemia seem to have a lower risk for aneurysm rupture.