Causes of cerebral hemorrhage

Written by Liu Yan Hao
Neurology
Updated on April 01, 2025
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The most common cause of cerebral hemorrhage is hypertensive cerebral hemorrhage. Patients with hypertension who do not adequately control their blood pressure, which frequently fluctuates, can lead to hardening of the cerebral vessels. The elasticity of the cerebral vessel walls diminishes, and when the blood pressure rises sharply, it can cause the cerebral vessels to rupture, leading to cerebral hemorrhage. This is the most common cause of cerebral hemorrhage, accounting for over 80%. Another common cause of cerebral hemorrhage is the rupture of cerebral aneurysms, which often leads to subarachnoid hemorrhage. Patients with this condition experience severe headaches, consciousness disturbances, and restlessness. Subarachnoid hemorrhage is a relatively severe medical condition with a high mortality rate. Additionally, some cerebral hemorrhages are caused by trauma, leading to cerebral contusion, skull fractures, subdural hematoma, and epidural hematoma. These causes account for a relatively small proportion of clinical cases.

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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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What is cerebral hemorrhage?

The term "cerebral hemorrhage" usually refers to bleeding caused by non-traumatic rupture of brain blood vessels. The causes include hypertension, arteriosclerosis, amyloid angiopathy, and vascular malformations, among others, often occurring during excessive fatigue, emotional excitement, or strenuous defecation. Clinically, it has a high rate of self-harm, and most survivors suffer from varying degrees of brain dysfunction. Additionally, some cases of cerebral hemorrhage are caused by trauma; the treatment principles and prognosis for these patients are similar to those for non-traumatic cerebral hemorrhages.

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Is cerebral hemorrhage dangerous?

Cerebral hemorrhage damages the central nervous system, which is our command center. Once the command center is damaged, a person's respiration, blood pressure, pulse, heartbeat, body temperature, movement, sensation, digestion, and other vital activities will be affected. The common sites for cerebral hemorrhage are in the basal ganglia, cerebrospinal fluid, pons, and cerebellum. These regions are usually important brain functional areas. Therefore, although advanced medical technology is available for treating patients with cerebral hemorrhage, the mortality and disability rates are still relatively high. Cerebral hemorrhage is a dangerous disease.

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Is cerebral hemorrhage serious?

Brain hemorrhage is relatively serious. In most cases, the condition of patients with brain hemorrhage progresses quickly and worsens gradually, often leading to high rates of disability or mortality. Additionally, brain hemorrhages can affect the patient's level of consciousness, resulting in states of stupor or coma. On this basis, it is common for several complications to occur, such as significant pulmonary infections, acid-base imbalances, electrolyte disturbances, hypoproteinemia, or deep vein thrombosis in the lower limbs. These issues can easily cause patients to experience unilateral or bilateral limb paralysis, abnormal limb sensation accompanied by a decline in cognitive functions, aphasia, and other clinical manifestations.

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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.