Life-threatening cerebral hemorrhage can occur as a result of a severe head injury or as a result of circulatory disorders. We show you the different forms of bleeding that can occur and how you can recognize them based on which physical characteristics.
Our brain is considered the control center of our body. It controls all important bodily functions and is responsible for processing our sensory impressions. If our brain is damaged in an accident, for example, the affected regions can be affected and no longer function properly. The most common head injuries include a concussion, fractures or even a cerebral hemorrhage, which we will discuss in more detail in this article.
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What is a cerebral hemorrhage?
When there is a cerebral hemorrhage, blood vessels inside the skull are injured. The causes of cerebral hemorrhage are different. For example, a blood vessel in the brain may be damaged or a ruptured brain aneurysm may be responsible for the bleeding. When there is a brain aneurysm or ruptured artery, blood leaks into the fluid-filled space that surrounds the brain. The bleeding increases pressure on the brain, causing brain damage. A brain hemorrhage is a medical emergency that requires immediate hospital treatment. Left untreated, cerebral hemorrhage can lead to death. The consequences of a cerebral hemorrhage can include symptoms such as vision, speech, movement or sensory disorders.
You can generally recognize such a cerebral hemorrhage by these four signs:
- rapid severe headache
- frequent loss of consciousness,
- cardiac arrhythmias,
- and respiratory arrest.
If a cerebral artery bleeds directly into the brain tissue, it is a hemorrhagic stroke . The escaping blood presses on the tissue and pinches off other blood vessels. Surrounding brain tissue can die. Cerebral hemorrhage can also happen between the meninges and the bones of the skull. In the event of a fall, for example, the cobweb skin (arachnoids) or the hard meninges (dura) can be injured. A bleeding artery that supplies the meninges can bleed between the bones of the skull and the dura mater.
Different forms of cerebral hemorrhage: physical signs
Depending on the location of the bleeding in the skull, there are different types of bleeding.
- Intracerebral Hemorrhage: Bleeding in the brain tissue
- Epidural hemorrhage, subdural hemorrhage: under or between the dura mater
- Subarachnoid hemorrhage: bleeding between the soft lining of the brain and the spider web
Signs of intracerebral hemorrhage
The most common trigger is high blood pressure that has existed over the years , caused by medication, excessive alcohol consumption or smoking. This leads to damage to the blood vessels. The result: the vessel can rupture spontaneously and cause cerebral hemorrhage. An intracerebral hemorrhage is manifested by the following symptoms:
- hemiplegia
- speech disorders
- visual disturbances
- headache
- dizziness
- nausea and vomiting
- coordination disorders
- difficulty breathing
Signs of epidural and subdural bleeding
When epidural and subdrural hemorrhage occurs, it usually occurs as a result of traumatic brain injury, which is usually caused by an accident. Multiple forms of bleeding usually occur as part of a traumatic brain injury.
Signs of epidural and subdural hemorrhage:
The patient is unconscious immediately after the accident, then wakes up and loses consciousness again. Other physical signs of epidural bleeding include:
- Severe headache
- nausea and vomiting
- Half-sided paralysis
With a subdural hemorrhage, the affected person is also groggy after the head injury. Other signs are
- nausea
- Vomit
- headache
- paralysis
- Decreased consciousness
- Dilated pupils and disturbed light reflection
Signs of subarachnoid hemorrhage:
A subarachnoid hemorrhage can be traumatic and non-traumatic. The first is caused by a craniocerebral trauma, the second is usually due to a ruptured aneurysm. Other reasons can be vascular inflammation , tumors or drug use.
Signs are:
- Sudden onset of extreme headache
- Severe neck pain
- nausea and vomiting
- Clouded Consciousness
Treatment of a cerebral hemorrhage
A brain hemorrhage is a medical emergency. Treatment of cerebral hemorrhage depends on the severity, location, and size of the brain injury and usually takes place in the hospital, where the patient is continuously monitored. If there is an increase in pressure due to the cerebral hemorrhage, medication or an operation is necessary. Surgery is also unavoidable if the cause is a ruptured aneurysm or accumulated cerebrospinal fluid.
The longer the initiation of treatment, the higher the probability of death and the risk of subsequent damage. Therefore, if there is a suspicion of a cerebral hemorrhage, rapid action is required.
After recovering from a cerebral hemorrhage, rehabilitation measures usually begin. These aim to treat mental as well as physical dysfunctions. After a cerebral hemorrhage, paralysis, sensory disturbances, but also speech and memory disorders can occur.
