Cerebral hemorrhage is a bleeding in the brain, caused by a ruptured blood vessel. As a result, blood flows into or around the brain. Blood accumulates and pushes the brain tissue away, causing damage to brain tissue. Cerebral hemorrhage, as well as cerebral infarction and TIA, falls under the heading of ‘stroke’.

Cause

Cause

The cause is almost always a ruptured aneurysm. An aneurysm is a weak spot in a blood vessel that develops during life. With age, the aneurysm slowly grows into a little balloon. High blood pressure and atherosclerosis accelerate this process. If the aneurysm tears, bleeding occurs. A cerebral hemorrhage can occur in the brain tissue itself or between the meninges.

Symptoms

Symptoms

The symptoms of a cerebral hemorrhage can vary, depending on the portion in the brain where the bleeding takes place and the size of the affected area. The symptoms occur suddenly and may include:

When symptoms like paralysis are located on the right side of the body, there is a bleeding in the left hemisphere. This applies vice versa.

Diagnosis

Diagnosis

The doctor makes the diagnosis of cerebral hemorrhage on the basis of failures found during physical examination. Because the symptoms of a cerebral hemorrhage and a cerebral infarction (blocked blood vessel) are very similar, a CT or MRI scan of the head will often be made. This way can be identified by which of the two conditions the patient is affected and the treatment can be determined. Treatment of cerebral infarction is actually very different from that of cerebral hemorrhage.

Treatment

Treatment

If the cause of cerebral hemorrhage has been an aneurysm, then an attempt is made to treat the cerebral hemorrhage with surgery. This operation should take place as quickly as possible. During the procedure, the doctor searches the place of the ruptured blood vessel and the vessel is closed. The objective of this operation is to reduce the risk of recurrence. Aneurysms may be treated in two ways:

If there is no obvious cause of the cerebral hemorrhage, no treatment is possible. However, advice can be given to eat healthier and to quit smoking and drinking, but these are indirect measures.

Prognosis

Prognosis

The nature and seriousness of the consequences of a cerebral hemorrhage depend on the location and size of the damage. The consequences are sometimes so severe that the patient dies.

Considerations

Considerations

Once a person has had a cerebral hemorrhage, there is increased risk of having it again. The patient can reduce the risk by taking the following measures:

Facts

Facts