What is Brain Hemorrhage, its Symptoms & Causes and treatment
2025-05-08 00:00:00
A brain bleed, also known as a brain hemorrhage, refers to bleeding between the brain tissue and the skull or inside the brain tissue. This is a life-threatening condition that requires immediate medical attention. Brain bleeds can limit the oxygen supplied to the brain, causing headaches, nausea, vomiting, tingling in the extremities, or facial paralysis.
Types of Brain Bleeds
1.Bleeding within the skull but outside the brain tissue
The brain consists of three membrane layers called meninges. The meninges cover and shield the brain from injury. These layers are located between the skull bone and the brain tissue itself. A brain hemorrhage can happen anywhere within these three membranes: the dura mater, arachnoid, and pia mater.
- Epidural hemorrhage: This type of bleed occurs between the skull bone and the dura mater (outermost) membrane level.
- Subdural hemorrhage: The brain bleed takes place between the dura mater (outermost) and the arachnoid membrane.
- Subarachnoid hemorrhage: This type of brain bleed occurs between the arachnoid membrane and the pia mater.
2.Bleeding inside the brain tissue
Two types of brain bleeds can occur inside the actual brain tissue. This is referred to as a cerebral hemorrhage or a hemorrhagic stroke.
- Intracerebral hemorrhage: Bleeding that occurs in the cerebellum of the brain (including the brainstem).
- Intraventricular hemorrhage: Bleeds that originate in the brain cavities where cerebrospinal fluid is produced.
Signs & Symptoms of Brain Bleed
The symptoms of a brain bleed can vary. It depends on which part of the brain is affected.
Common brain bleed symptoms include:
- Weakness, numbness, tingling, and facial paralysis. Often these symptoms affect the arm and leg on one side of the body.
- Sudden, severe headaches are known as “thunderclap” headaches. These headaches occur with subarachnoid hemorrhages. They are extremely painful and abrupt, with intense pain lasting from one to five minutes. This type of headache is not always dangerous; however, it could indicate a more serious, underlying condition involving a brain hemorrhage.
- Nausea and vomiting
- Confusion
- Feeling lightheaded and dizzy
- Seizures
- Difficulty swallowing
- Impaired vision or loss of vision, sensitivity to light
- Difficulty with balance and coordination
- Stiff neck
- Slurred or unusual speech
- Feeling lethargic and sleepy
- Coma
What Causes a Brain Hemorrhage?
Though a brain hemorrhage can come on suddenly, there are underlying factors that can contribute. The most common causes of a brain hemorrhage are:
- Head trauma: Injuries to the head are the most common reason for a brain hemorrhage to occur in people younger than 50 years old.
- High blood pressure: High blood pressure, if left untreated, can weaken the blood vessel walls and lead to a brain hemorrhage.
- Aneurysm: An aneurysm occurs when a blood vessel wall weakens and swells. A burst aneurysm can cause bleeding in the brain and lead to stroke.
- Blood vessel abnormalities: An arteriovenous malformation (AVM) causes blood vessels in and around the brain to become weak. It may be present at birth but is only discoverable when symptoms appear.
- Amyloid angiopathy: This blood irregularity usually occurs among older adults with high blood pressure. It may produce small bleeds that go unnoticed until finally causing a larger bleed.
- Blood or bleeding disorders: People who have diseases such as hemophilia and sickle cell anemia are more likely to experience brain bleeds. Their conditions contribute to lower levels of blood platelets and clotting. Additionally, patients on blood thinners have an increased risk of brain bleeds.
- Liver disease: People with liver conditions have an increased risk of bleeding issues
- Brain tumors: Those who have had brain tumors are at a higher risk of developing a brain hemorrhage.
Who is at Risk for Brain hemorrhages?
A brain bleed can happen to anyone, no matter how young or old you are. But some of the reasons that it’s likely to happen are:
- You have high blood pressure.
- You have a substance use disorder.
- You use tobacco.
- You take blood thinners.
- You have a brain tumor.
- You injure your head.
Treatment
Surgery may be necessary to treat a severe brain hemorrhage. Surgeons may operate to relieve some of the pressure on the brain.
If a burst cerebral aneurysm causes a hemorrhage, a surgeon may remove part of the skull and clip the artery. This procedure is called a craniotomy.
Other treatment options include anti-anxiety drugs, anti-epileptic drugs, and other medications to control symptoms, such as seizures and severe headaches.
People can recover from a brain hemorrhage, although it is vital that they receive the correct treatment as soon as possible. Rehabilitation can help an individual adjust to life after a brain hemorrhage.
Rehabilitation treatment includes:
- physical therapy
- speech therapy
- occupational therapy
- lifestyle changes to limit the risk of another hemorrhage
Can Brain Hemorrhages Be Prevented?
Most brain hemorrhages are linked to specific risk factors, so there are steps you can take right now to protect yourself, such as:
- Treat high blood pressure.
- Quit tobacco.
- Stop using drugs. Cocaine, for example, can increase the risk of bleeding in your brain.
- Keep an eye on cholesterol. Cholesterol can build up in your blood vessels and damage them. Men between the ages of 45 and 65 years and women between the ages of 55 and 65 years should get a cholesterol test every 1-2 years.
- If you take blood-thinning drugs, follow up regularly with your doctor to make sure your blood levels are in the correct range.
Sources:
- 1.NYP: What is brain hemorrhage, its causes, types, and signs & symptoms? Link: https://www.nyp.org/neuro/brain-hemorrhage#get-care
- 2.WebMD: Who is at Risk for Brain Hemorrhages and can brain hemorrhage be prevented? Link: https://www.webmd.com/stroke/understanding-stroke-symptoms
- 3.Medical News Today: Treatment of Brain Hemorrhage Link: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/317080#diagnosis