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Although some AVMs occur as a result of penetrating injuries such as trauma, most are present at birth. However, symptoms typically don’t occur until between the ages 10 and 20. Very large AVMs may short-circuit blood flow enough to cause cardiac decompensation, in which the heart can’t pump enough blood to compensate for bleeding in the brain. This typically occurs in infants and young children.
The vessels of an AVM are very thin and one or more arteries feed into it, causing it to appear dilated and tortuous. Typically, high-pressured arterial flow moves into the venous system through the connecting channels to increase venous pressure, engorging and dilating the venous structures. If the AVM is large enough, the shunting can deprive the surrounding tissue of adequate blood flow. Thin-walled vessels may ooze small amounts of blood — they may even rupture — causing hemorrhage into the brain or subarachnoid space.
Cerebral arteriovenous malformations occur in approximately 3 out of 10,000 people. Although the lesion is present at birth, symptoms may occur at any time. Two-thirds of cases occur before age 40. Evidence suggests that AVMs run in families. Males and females are affected equally.
Source: Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition), 2005
The term 'prevalence' of Arteriovenous Malformation usually refers to the estimated population of people who are managing Arteriovenous Malformation at any given time. The term 'incidence' of Arteriovenous Malformation refers to the annual diagnosis rate, or the number of new cases of Arteriovenous Malformation diagnosed each year. Hence, these two statistics types can differ: a short-lived disease like flu can have high annual incidence but low prevalence, but a life-long disease like diabetes has a low annual incidence but high prevalence. For more information see about prevalence and incidence statistics.
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