Causes of cerebral hemorrhage

Written by Jiang Fang Shuai
Neurosurgery
Updated on September 15, 2024
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Any cause of cerebral vascular rupture and bleeding is called cerebral hemorrhage, including traumatic cerebral hemorrhage and non-traumatic cerebral hemorrhage. Traumatic cerebral hemorrhage, as the name suggests, is caused by head trauma, while the most common cause of non-traumatic cerebral hemorrhage is hypertension. Under the long-term impact of high blood pressure and high blood flow, numerous microaneurysms form in the brain's blood vessels. When blood pressure suddenly increases under certain conditions, these microaneurysms may rupture and bleed. The second most common cause is cerebral amyloid angiopathy, where blood vessels become aged, brittle, and weak, leading to rupture and bleeding. The third most common cause includes intracranial aneurysms and vascular malformations, which also partly cause hemorrhage. The fourth most common cause involves intracranial tumors, meningiomas, melanomas, and others. The fifth most common cause is related to hematological disorders, such as leukemia and deficiencies in clotting factors. Lastly, another cause is the prolonged use of anticoagulant and antiplatelet medications, which also contribute to cerebral hemorrhage.

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Written by Zhang Hui
Neurology
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Early warning signs of cerebral hemorrhage

Cerebral hemorrhage is an emergency in neurology, typically presenting acutely with little to no warning signs. Patients usually experience rapid onset of symptoms including headache, nausea, vomiting, and paralysis of limbs. A detailed look at the patient's medical history may reveal some prodromal symptoms such as recent overexertion, emotional excitement, lack of rest, or constipation, which are common triggers. If a patient experiences repeated chronic headaches and general weakness, these could be the mechanical prodromal symptoms of cerebral hemorrhage. A significant fluctuation in blood pressure should also raise concerns about the possibility of a cerebral hemorrhage. Once a cerebral hemorrhage occurs, it is crucial to promptly seek hospital treatment. If the volume of the hemorrhage is substantial, it poses a life-threatening risk to the patient and surgical treatment may be necessary. If the hemorrhage is smaller, conservative treatment may suffice, focusing on bed rest, maintaining emotional stability, and administering neuroprotective medications.

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Written by Zhang Hui
Neurology
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How to Prevent Cerebral Hemorrhage

To understand how to prevent cerebral hemorrhage, we need to clarify what causes it. Generally, the most common cause of cerebral hemorrhage is hypertension. Long-term hypertension can lead to hyaline degeneration of the walls of small arteries and occlusion necrosis. Over time, small arteries rupture, leading to cerebral hemorrhage. Other blood system diseases, such as leukemia, deficiency of clotting factors, some tumors, and cerebral vascular malformations, can also cause cerebral hemorrhage. Therefore, the most important preventive measure is to actively control blood pressure. Regularly, one must maintain a low-salt, low-fat diet, engage in appropriate physical activities, enhance physical fitness, avoid smoking, and abstain from alcohol to effectively prevent hypertension and avoid hypertension-induced cerebral hemorrhage. For cerebral hemorrhage caused by other reasons, regular health check-ups should be done, including complete blood counts and coagulation tests, to rule out blood diseases causing cerebral hemorrhage.

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Written by Zhang Hui
Neurology
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How to treat cerebral hemorrhage?

Cerebral hemorrhage is a dangerous disease. Once diagnosed with cerebral hemorrhage, the patient's treatment plan mainly requires strict bed rest and maintaining a calm emotional state to avoid emotional excitement and fluctuations in blood pressure. If the patient develops acute ulcers, it is crucial to pay attention to treatments that protect the gastric mucosa. Additionally, if the patient suffers from severe headaches, an appropriate amount of painkiller may be administered. If there is a significant increase in intracranial pressure, dehydration and reduction of intracranial pressure should be considered. Managing blood pressure is also very important in treating cerebral hemorrhage; it is essential to keep the blood pressure stable. If the hemorrhage is caused by abnormalities in clotting functions, intravenous coagulation medications may be administered. Furthermore, if the volume of cerebral hemorrhage is large and threatens the patient's life, with a tendency for brain herniation, neurosurgery may be required to remove the hematoma and save the patient's life.

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Written by Zhang Hui
Neurology
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How to care for cerebral hemorrhage

Cerebral hemorrhage is a very dangerous neurological disease. In addition to conducting related drug treatments to control the condition, prevent the enlargement of the hemorrhage, and prevent the recurrence of cerebral thrombosis, nursing care is also very important. The nursing of cerebral hemorrhage mainly includes the following aspects: First, it is essential to address the patient's mental state and soothe their emotions because large emotional fluctuations can easily lead to an increase in the amount of cerebral hemorrhage. Second, patients should be advised to rest in bed and avoid vigorous activities. Early ambulation can also easily lead to an increase in cerebral hemorrhage. Third, it is important to maintain smooth bowel movements. If the bowel movements are not smooth, or even constipated, excessive straining during defecation can cause an increase in cerebral hemorrhage. Fourth, patients with cerebral hemorrhage often have some associated complications, such as pulmonary infections and acute ulcers, among other diseases. It is crucial for patients to be attentive to turning over, patting the back, suctioning phlegm, and administering antibiotics in a timely manner if necessary. For the prevention of acute gastric mucosal lesions and acute ulcers, patients should eat soft, easily digestible food.

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Written by Chen Yu Fei
Neurosurgery
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What are the symptoms of cerebral hemorrhage?

For patients with cerebral hemorrhage, the symptoms vary clinically due to different amounts of bleeding and instability of the hemorrhage, which affect the surrounding brain tissue to different extents. For patients with minor cerebral hemorrhage, the impact is generally minor, and most patients only exhibit mild symptoms such as headache, dizziness, nausea, and retching. For patients with larger bleeding volumes located in crucial motor and speech functional areas, they often show symptoms such as unilateral limb paralysis and abnormal sensations in the affected limbs, accompanied by significant headaches, dizziness, reduced intellectual levels, cognitive impairments, and even aphasia.