Cerebral hemorrhage: cause, symptoms and treatment

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Possible causes of cerebral hemorrhage

• Head trauma or injury. This cause is most commonly seen in people younger than 50 years.
• Cerebral aneurysm or a weakened bulge in a cerebral artery
• Extremely high blood pressure
• Abnormalities of the blood vessels
• Bleeding or bleeding disorders
• Liver disease
• Brain tumor
• Drugs

Also read: Do you know the signs of a stroke (CVA)?

What are the symptoms?

• Loss of strength or paralysis of an arm or leg, usually on one side of the body
• Loss of strength of the facial muscles, crooked mouth
• Tingling or sensory disturbances in the face, arm or leg
• Difficulty speaking or understanding words
• Difficulty swallowing
• Blindness or blurred vision in one or both eyes
• Dizziness, balance disorders, gait disturbances
• Sudden, severe headache
• Decreased consciousness: drowsiness, coma, confusion
• Nausea and vomiting

There is also a risk of complications with a cerebral hemorrhage. In that case, the bleeding prevents the nerve cells from communicating with other parts of the body and functioning normally again. Common complications after a brain hemorrhage are: problems with movement, speech or memory. In some cases, the damage is permanent.

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How is it treated?

• Trepanation: Skull surgery in which the surgeon removes blood to lower the pressure in the brain.
• Coiling: placing IUDs in the aneurysm. This fills it completely and no more blood can enter.
• Clipping: Applying a clip to the neck of the aneurysm to prevent bleeding.

After the acute treatment, the rehabilitation phase will be started as soon as possible. It is important that this happens quickly in order to compensate for the lost brain function as best as possible. In the rehabilitation process, the patient receives the help of a multidisciplinary team: a neurologist, physiotherapist, rehabilitation doctor, occupational therapist, speech therapist, geriatrician, dietician, stroke coach, nurse, psychologist and social worker.

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