What Is a Brain Hemorrhage?
A brain hemorrhage is the bursting of an artery in the brain. This discharge of blood can interrupt the normal circulation to the brain, leading to stroke, which occurs when part of the brain lacks oxygen. Strokes can cause permanent or temporary damage to the brain.
Bleeding within the brain can also raise the pressure inside the skull to dangerous levels. This high pressure can cause the hemorrhage to bleed quicker, leading to a vicious cycle of destruction within the brain. Brain hemorrhages can be deadly, and the damage that they cause is determined by the size of the hemorrhage, the amount of swelling in the skull, and how quickly the bleeding is controlled.
What Is the Frequency of Brain Bleeding?
One kind of stroke is a brain hemorrhage. Every year in the United States, over 795,000 individuals endure a stroke.
What Are the Types of Brain Hemorrhage?
The types of brain hemorrhage are:
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Subarachnoid hemorrhage.
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Intraparenchymal hemorrhage.
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Epidural hemorrhage.
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Subdural hemorrhage.
What Are the Causes of Brain Hemorrhage?
1. Subarachnoid Hemorrhage:
Subarachnoid hemorrhage usually occurs after trauma when the cortical surface vessels are injured and bleed into the subarachnoid space. Non-traumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage is commonly due to the rupturing of the cerebral aneurysm. During the rupture of an aneurysm, the blood can flow into the subarachnoid space. Other causes of subarachnoid hemorrhage include blood thinners, arteriovenous malformations (AVM), trauma, or idiopathic causes.
2. Intraparenchymal Hemorrhage:
Non-traumatic intraparenchymal hemorrhage usually occurs secondary to hypertensive damage to cerebral blood vessels, ultimately bursting and bleeding into the brain. Other causes may include rupture of an aneurysm, an arteriovenous malformation, arteriopathy, tumor, infection, or venous outflow obstruction. Intraparenchymal hemorrhage can also be caused by penetrating and non-penetrating trauma.
3. Epidural Hemorrhage:
Epidural hemorrhage can occur when the blood dissects into the latent space between the dura and the inner table of the skull. Most commonly, this happens after a skull fracture in 85 % to 95 % of cases. In addition, to this there can be damage to the venous or an arterial vessel, allowing the blood to dissect into the potential epidural space resulting in the epidural hematoma. The most commonly damaged vessel is the middle meningeal artery below the skull's temporoparietal region.
4. Subdural Hemorrhage:
The multiple causes of subdural hemorrhage include head trauma, vascular abnormality rupture, coagulopathy, and spontaneous. Head trauma is the usual cause of the brain's motion relative to the skull, stretching and breaking the blood vessels crossing from the brain to the skull. If the blood vessels are damaged, they can bleed into the subdural space.
What Are the Symptoms of Brain Hemorrhage?
There are no symptoms in most patients, and the person comes to an emergency with a history of sudden unconsciousness. When blood pressure is checked and found to be elevated, and a CT (computed tomography) scan shows a large amount of blood in the brain. So, a seemingly normal person dies due to a brain hemorrhage. It is a common presentation of patients with high blood pressure. Fortunately, some patients get:
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Sudden, severe headaches (thunderclap headaches).
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Dizziness.
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Slurred speech.
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Vision problems.
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Uncomfortable feelings.
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Vomiting.
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Seizures.
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Tingling or numbness in the arms or legs.
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Paralysis on one side of the body.
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Chest pain when their blood pressure rises.
What Are the Risk Factors of Brain Hemorrhage?
Risk factors for brain hemorrhage:
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The common risk factor for brain hemorrhage is hypertension (high blood pressure).
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Antiplatelet and anticoagulant medications can also increase the risk of a spontaneous brain hemorrhage.
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Cerebral amyloid angiopathy is linked to a build-up of amyloid proteins in the arterial walls, making them more prone to rupture.
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The rupture of an intracranial aneurysm (subarachnoid hemorrhage) may be spontaneous, precipitated by exertion, or from hypertension.
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Substance abuse illness.
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Tobacco use.
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Disorders that cause bleeding or require the use of blood thinners (anticoagulants) for therapy.
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Eclampsia (an extreme pregnancy complication that manifests as convulsions)
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Newborn intraventricular hemorrhage (bleeding around the ventricles).
It is very distressing to see the patients dying with a brain hemorrhage. Medically, this is called intracranial bleeding or hemorrhage. A simple cycle leads to this fatal condition. High blood pressure leads to increased pressure inside the blood vessels, and brain vessels being delicate, ruptures leading to hemorrhage or blood flow into the brain. Most commonly, increased blood pressure is the culprit. Most of the time, patients do not recover and succumb to death.
What to Do to Prevent Such Death?
One of the ways is to control blood pressure. But, individuals can control it only if they know that they have high blood pressure. So, one has to be vigilant for the symptoms mentioned above. Also, every person in his or her 40s or 50s should get their blood pressure checked periodically. It is more important to be cautious if they have a family history of high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, smoking, or other risk factors. If the patient is a known case, he should check blood pressure more frequently and with any new symptoms.
What Are the Measures to Reduce Blood Pressure?
Once detected, individuals should make changes in their lifestyle to control high blood pressure like a low salt diet, regular exercise, reducing weight, having green leafy vegetables, avoiding meat, smoking, and alcohol. Also, along with this, they should regularly take medicines prescribed by the doctor.
The common misconception is that many patients discontinue medicine once blood pressure is controlled because they think it is cured and do not need any medication. Patients with high blood pressure need to be on medicine for life long with the change in dosage at regular intervals.
One should buy an electronic blood pressure apparatus for home BP measurements, as these are more reliable than a single reading taken in the hospital. One should make a blood pressure chart and get it reviewed by the doctor. Some blood pressure medicines can cause side effects, but this should be discussed with the doctor and medicine, or the dose should be modified, but medicine should not be discontinued on its own.
What Are the Possible Complications of a Brain Hemorrhage?
A brain hemorrhage can cause irreversible brain damage or even death if it is not treated right away. Poor oxygen supply kills brain cells and prevents them from interacting with other organs.
One may experience the following:
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Loss of memory.
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Trouble speaking, swallowing, and communicating.
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Difficulties in coordination and mobility.
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Lack of movement in a certain body portion (paralysis).
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Part of the body feels numb or weak.
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Loss of vision.
How to Diagnose Brain Hemorrhage?
Initially, physicians will perform a physical examination and neurological assessment. The following tests will be taken to identify the location, severity, and sometimes the source of the hemorrhage:
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CT (computerized tomography) scan.
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MRI (magnetic resonance imaging).
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MRA (magnetic resonance imaging).
Additional tests that can be used to identify a cause include:
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Electroencephalogram (tracks and records the brain's electrical activity).
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Chest radiography.
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Urinalysis (a usual test in which urine is examined).
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Complete blood count (CBC - a blood test that provides information about blood and general health).
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Lumbar puncture (a process where a medical professional takes a sample of the cerebrospinal fluid by sticking a needle into the lower back. The transparent fluid that envelops the brain and spine is called cerebrospinal fluid).
How to Treat Brain Hemorrhage?
The course of treatment for a brain hemorrhage depends on its location and severity. The primary goals of the healthcare practitioner will be controlling the source and halting the bleeding. Therapy options could be:
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Surgery - Decompression, craniectomy (removing a portion of the skull to decrease pressure), and craniotomy (will reduce pressure and control the bleeding source by removing and replacing a portion of the skull).
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Medicines - Antianxiety, antiseizure, and corticosteroids.
Furthermore, one might get:
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Additional oxygen is delivered by a ventilator.
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Fluids and nutrients are given intravenously using a vein or a feeding tube (gastronomy tube).
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Close observation in an ICU (intensive care unit) to ensure that the health indicators remain stable.
Conclusion:
A brain bleed is a severe medical emergency that can be dangerous. To treat this illness before it results in death or irreversible brain damage, one must act quickly. Brain cells may succumb from oxygen deprivation in as few as three to four minutes. The most favorable outcomes come from treating a brain bleed as promptly as possible.
