- Dr. Dre said he ignored the symptoms of a brain aneurysm that nearly killed him.
- The rapper had three strokes after being hospitalized.
- He said he didn't know he had high blood pressure, and called it a "silent killer."
Dr. Dre said he ignored the symptoms of the brain aneurysm that almost killed him in 2021.
The "N.W.A." rapper was hospitalized with an aneurysm in January 2021 in Los Angeles, at the height of the COVID pandemic. He was 55 at the time.
Speaking to SiriusXM's "This Life of Mine with James Corden" (via The Hollywood Reporter), he recalled having three strokes during his two-week stay.
Dre said: "It's just something that you can't control that just happens and during those two weeks, I had three strokes."
The star told Corden that he had "the worst pain" behind his right ear — one of the symptoms of an aneurysm — soon after waking up, and he tried to ignore it.
"I got up and I went on about my day, and I thought that I could just lay down and take a nap," he said. "My son had a female friend that was there and was like, 'No, we need to take you to the hospital.' So they took me to urgent care."
He added: "Next thing you know, I'm blacking out. I'm in and out of consciousness, and I ended up in the ICU. I was there for two weeks. I'm hearing the doctors coming in and saying, 'You don't know how lucky you are.'"
Dre went on: "I had no idea that I had high blood pressure or anything like that because I'm on my health shit. I'm lifting weights, I'm running, I'm doing everything I can to keep myself healthy."
Untreated high blood pressure can increase the risk of strokes
According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, untreated high blood pressure is a risk factor for the condition because it can damage and weaken arteries, which can then lead to a cerebral aneurysm.
Per the CDC, high blood pressure costs the US economy between $131 to $198 billion annually.
Dre also pointed out that Black men are more likely to have high blood pressure, and encouraged people to be aware of their health.
He said: "High blood pressure in Black men, that's just what it is. They call it the silent killer. You just have no idea, so you know, you have to keep your shit checked."
According to the American Heart Association, Black people are more likely to experience more severe high blood pressure and have it earlier in life. Around 55% of Black adults have high blood pressure, it states.
Dre said that he appreciates being alive after his ordeal, especially knowing that it was something he couldn't control.
"It's crazy, so now knowing that I had no control over that. It's just something that could happen out of the blue. You wake up and you go, 'Shit. OK, I'm here,'" he said.
