Cerebral hemorrhage in adults

The second name for this pathology is hemorrhagic stroke. It occurs at any age, but people of mature and elderly age are more likely to suffer – approximately 15 – 20% of all serious disorders of cerebral circulation are cerebral hemorrhages.

What is a cerebral hemorrhage

A cerebral hemorrhage is a life-threatening condition that occurs when one of the cerebral arteries ruptures, spilling blood into the brain tissue. The brain tissue is saturated with blood or a hematoma is formed (an accumulation of blood that presses on the surrounding tissues), blood may leak into the ventricle of the brain, which disrupts the outflow of cerebrospinal fluid, and increases intracranial pressure.

That part of the brain that has lost blood due to rupture of blood vessels and those tissues that are saturated with blood stop working, the cells die. Accordingly, the larger the vessel that is torn, the more dangerous the consequences for life and health will be.

Causes of cerebral hemorrhage in adults

There are a lot of reasons why the vessels rupture and the blood pours into the brain tissue. Among the most frequent are:

• arterial aneurysms (thinning of the wall, formation of a blood sac that overflows and bursts);
• vascular malformations (congenital defects, thinning, tortuosity of the walls);
• ruptures of blood vessels during a hypertensive crisis due to the prohibitive load on the walls;
• head trauma with vascular ruptures;
• tumors that grow and damage the arteries;
• taking drugs that thin the blood (if the dosages are not observed);
• the development of certain systemic diseases in which the walls of the arteries suffer (for example, amyloidosis).

At a young age, trauma and congenital anomalies of blood vessels become the leading causes of hemorrhage. In the elderly – damage to blood vessels by atherosclerosis and their rupture in hypertension, tumor processes.

Symptoms of cerebral hemorrhage in adults

The key symptoms that occur with cerebral hemorrhage, we called neurologist Polina Petrosyan. According to her, intracerebral hemorrhage is characterized by an acute onset, with a rapid development of the clinical picture:

• sudden severe headache;
• nausea and vomiting;
• dizziness.

Depending on the volume and location of the hemorrhage, there may be:

• unilateral weakness in the limbs (hemiparesis) up to the complete absence of movement in them (hemiplegia);
• restriction of the movement of the eyeballs;
• violation of speech – both its reproduction and understanding;
• violation of swallowing and breathing;
• impaired consciousness up to coma.

In many ways, the severity of the symptoms depends on which part of the brain is damaged, how much blood has flowed out, and how large the vessel was.

Treatment of cerebral hemorrhage in adults

It is important that care for a cerebral hemorrhage is provided as soon as possible. Ideally – in the first 1 – 3 hours after the first symptoms. During this period, you can save the maximum possible amount of nervous tissue and reduce the consequences, stop bleeding. But it is important to make a diagnosis as soon as possible and accurately.

Diagnostics

A doctor may suspect a cerebral hemorrhage based on typical symptoms, especially if they are related to trauma or other risk factors. But the gold standard for diagnosis is a CT scan of the brain. On the first day after the onset of a hemorrhage, the data will be the most accurate, even more significant than with MRI. On tomograms, fresh hematomas are clearly visible, the doctor can determine their exact location, size and shape. In addition, he immediately assesses how much the structures of the brain, membranes and the cerebrospinal fluid circulation system have suffered.

If these are young people, without hypertension, they may be prescribed an angiography of the cerebral vessels. Additionally, an ECG, chest x-ray, blood tests for electrolyte levels, PTT with APTT (clotting indicators) are performed.

Modern treatments

– Treatment of intracerebral hemorrhage is carried out only in a hospital (hospitalization in a specialized department), – reminds neurologist Polina Petrosyan. – Depending on the cause, localization and symptoms, treatment can be either medical (conservative) or surgical. The tactics of treatment can be determined only in a hospital after examination by the necessary specialists – a neurologist and a neurosurgeon.

Consequences of cerebral hemorrhage in adults

The most dangerous thing with a cerebral hemorrhage is the consequences that can develop. Among them Polina Petrosyan notes the:

“The consequences may lead to disability, but may not affect a normal lifestyle and ability to work,” says Dr. Polina Petrosyan. – After a hemorrhage, unilateral weakness in the limbs, decreased sensitivity in them, and various speech disorders may persist. Full recovery is possible if rehabilitation measures are taken in time, if the patient independently makes efforts to rehabilitation measures.

Prevention of cerebral hemorrhage in adults at home

The main preventive measures are not fundamentally different from many other diseases. Treat hypertension in a timely manner, visit a doctor regularly and follow all his instructions, take all the drugs that have been prescribed.

Watch your risk factors – work on lowering high cholesterol, control diabetes, give up bad habits.

Popular questions and answers

When you need to call an ambulance and how favorable the forecasts are for the development of cerebral hemorrhage, she told us neurologist Polina Petrosyan.