Symptoms
An acute cerebral hemorrhage often cannot be distinguished from a stroke and has the same symptoms, such as a hemiplegic arm or leg weakness, a speech, language, swallowing disorder or sudden drooping at the corners of the mouth. Sudden onset of sensory disturbance, visual field loss, double vision, balance disturbance (often perceived non-specifically as dizziness), or loss of consciousness may also occur as isolated symptoms or in combination with the other symptoms, depending on the brain function affected. Severe headaches may also occur with cerebral hemorrhage.
Stroke = emergency!
If you have any of the warning symptoms mentioned, call the emergency hotline immediately.
A variant of severe headache can occur due to bleeding from the vessels that are adjacent to the brain (subarachnoid hemorrhage, see below), which can subsequently cause brain injury due to pressure or bleeding into the brain.
Symptoms
Causes
The most common cause of cerebral hemorrhage is elevated blood pressure. Coagulation disorders or the use of blood-thinning medication can also promote a cerebral hemorrhage. Another cause is vascular malformations or tumors. Drug abuse (especially cocaine), can also lead to brain hemorrhage.
In a brain hemorrhage, the blood vessel tissue ruptures, blood flows out, and due to the increase in pressure – the skull cannot expand – healthy brain cells are severely at risk. If the hemorrhage exceeds a certain extent, damage to the brain may initially be reversible, but after a time permanent damage with neurological deficits may occur. Depending on the cause, cerebral hemorrhage occurs at different sites. So-called intracerebral hemorrhages are located inside the brain itself and are usually the result of excessive blood pressure. There are also hemorrhages (also called hematomas) in the area of the meninges, which cause headaches and can also press on the brain and damage it as a result. Epidural hemorrhages are located between the skull and the hard meninges, while subdural hemorrhages are located between the hard meninges. Subarachnoid hemorrhages are located even closer to the brain substance.
What we can offer
Treatment/progression
Puncturing the skull and suctioning out the blood using minimally invasive surgery relieves the pressure on brain tissue. If expert help arrives within a few hours, permanent damage can be avoided or at least kept to a minimum. Patients with brain hemorrhages often also need longer periods of neurological rehabilitation treatment after acute treatment if damage has not been avoided. They can learn through physiotherapy, speech therapy or occupational therapy to restore lost functions. The sooner rehabilitation begins, the better. Whether long-term rehabilitation is necessary depends on the extent of the nerve damage suffered. In the special consultation for movement disorders, your doctor can provide treatment for long-term motor consequences of a stroke.
