Hemorrhage in the brain: symptoms, treatment, effects, prognosis

The brain is one of the most important human organs, which is entrusted not only with the function of thinking, but also with many regulatory processes in the body. Blood supply to the brain affects its functioning, however, in some cases a vascular rupture may occur, which inevitably leads to numerous disruptions in the functioning of all body systems. Hemorrhage in the brain, the symptoms of which will be discussed in detail in this article, is considered one of the most dangerous phenomena for human life. In order to eliminate its consequences, doctors and patients have to make a lot of efforts. The key point in this is the early detection of symptoms and signs that the brain, the photo of which many have probably seen, undergoes pathological changes due to impaired blood circulation.

For what reasons can cerebral hemorrhage occur?

The most common factor provoking the rupture of the blood vessels of the brain is arterial hypertension. As a rule, the severe course of this disease causes irreversible changes in all the vessels in the body, but the most affected are those that feed the brain tissue. Hemorrhage in the brain, the symptoms of which can not always be quickly recognized, also occurs in a number of other cases, which include:

• Rupture of an aneurysm of cerebral vessels diagnosed before;
• Vascular anomalies, such as arteriovenous malformations;
• Deposition on the vessel walls of an atypical amyloid protein;
• Malignant and benign tumors of the brain;
• A regular intake of drugs that promote blood thinning.

The listed phenomena, which can cause a rupture of blood vessels in the human brain, are most often found in patients at an older age. By the nature of the changes and localization of the affected areas of the brain, which are clearly visible in the images obtained by diagnosis (brain MRI), specialists can find out the cause of hemorrhage.

Hemorrhage in newborns - does it happen?

If we talk about a brain hemorrhage, then often an adult or even an elderly patient appears. However, in some cases this phenomenon can be observed in newborns. A feature of cerebral hemorrhage in babies is that several areas can be damaged, for example, the lateral ventricle of the brain and its cortex, or subcortical and gray matter at the same time. The main cause of hemorrhage in a child is considered prematurity, especially if the fetus at the time of birth was less than 32 weeks. In addition, the rupture of blood vessels can occur in the first week after birth in term infants. The reason for this phenomenon is found in late toxicosis in the mother, mistakes in the management of labor and infection.

Classification of cerebral hemorrhages by location

The World Health Organization (WHO) today allocates 5 types of hemorrhages in the brain:

1. Intra cerebral, or intracerebral haemorrhage, when the burst vessels are located in deep layers of white or gray matter, and blood is poured into the brain.
2. Subarachnoid, in which the ruptured vessels are afflicted with an aneurysm or amyloidosis, the blood thus enters the cavity, which is filled with cerebrospinal fluid.
3. Ventricular, or ventricular hemorrhage, affecting the lateral ventricle of the brain.
4. Epidural, in which poured blood enters the space between the cranium and the brain.
5. Subdural, in which blood flows under the hard shell of the brain.

To help specialists to know which part of the body has undergone changes in such a phenomenon as cerebral hemorrhage, the symptoms of each species of which have their own characteristics, can tomography and other diagnostic methods.

What are the external signs that can talk about a brain hemorrhage?

For all types of hemorrhage, the following signs and symptoms are characteristic that appear in the first minutes after rupture of the vessels:

• Intense headache;
• Loss or confusion;
• nausea and vomiting;
• Convulsive contractions of some muscles.

One or more of the symptoms that appear on this list should alert the patient and his loved ones, especially when the person has diseases from the list of those that can provoke a brain hemorrhage. Symptoms tend to increase, as a rule, so there is no point in waiting for the relief of the patient's condition, but it's better to call an ambulance right away.

Symptoms of cerebral hemorrhage in children

The main symptoms of cerebral hemorrhage in newborns do not differ from those that are present in adult patients. However, there are a number of signs that you can understand that a child has a rupture of blood vessels in the brain. Often this is manifested in the inability of the child to make sucking movements, reddening the sclera of the eyes because of the blood that has fallen into them, and also in the suppression of the tendon reflex. In the absence of obvious signs of hemorrhage in the brain, pathology can manifest itself in a later period in the form of unusually strong growth of the skull in the child.

Symptoms of hemorrhage in the brain depending on the location of their localization

The localization of the hematoma in the brain also affects the symptomatology. Thus, with a hemorrhage into the deep sections, the patient may experience symptoms such as a violation or stopping of breathing, a steady turn of eyeballs in one direction, a lack of pupillary response to light, a decrease in body temperature, malfunction of the heart rhythm, paralysis of the muscles of the limbs of one half of the body. Quite often the emerging state, typical for such a phenomenon as cerebral hemorrhage is a coma, in which the patient has no reaction to pain stimuli.

When blood enters the gray and / or white matter of the brain, the patient's condition can be expressed by the lack of orientation in space and the inability to coordinate his movements, muscle weaknesses, excessive excitation or inhibition, reflex disorders. Hemorrhage in the cerebellum usually causes severe occipital pain, loss of consciousness, deviation of the head from normal position backwards or to the side, inability to coordinate movements.

In addition to the above symptoms, a patient with a cerebral hemorrhage may exhibit such signs as deformity of the face due to paralysis of the facial muscles, inability to smile, and lack of intelligible speech. When these signs appear, it is important to give the person first aid as soon as possible and deliver it to the hospital for the MRI of the brain, with the help of which it is possible to determine the degree of vascular lesions, and also to determine adequate treatment.

Than cerebral hemorrhages are dangerous

The danger of cerebral hemorrhage lies in the fact that due to vascular ruptures, nutrients and oxygen stop flowing to the tissues of the organ. In addition, the brain is exposed to the accumulated blood, which squeezes its sites. This is in most cases the cause of irreversible consequences that turn life after a stroke into a patient's struggle with itself, as many functions of the body, including mental, neurological and other, are violated. And the longer a patient is without appropriate treatment, the less he has the chance to recover as much as possible.

Treatment of hemorrhage in the brain

To date, there are only two ways to cure brain hemorrhage. Treatment, or rather, its method (surgical or therapeutic) is chosen, based on the location of the organ in which the hematoma is located, and also from its size. Indications for surgical intervention are:

• Large (more than 50 ml) volume of blood that has got into the brain tissue;
• Hemorrhage localized within the brain or in the lateral ventricle;
• Severe condition of the patient.

The expediency of the operation is determined only by the attending physician!

To date, there are several types of surgical operations that allow you to remove a blood clot from the brain:

1. Trepanation of the skull, carried out under general anesthesia. It is used for extensive intracerebral hemorrhage. An obligatory condition for carrying out this type of surgical intervention is the absence of serious internal diseases in the patient.
2. Minimally invasive operation, the essence of which is that during its carrying out in the skull of the patient at the site of the clot localization, only one hole is superimposed, through which, with the help of a catheter, a special solution is introduced, which helps dissolve the blood clot. Extraction of its fragments is also carried out through this hole. The duration of the procedure is about 2 days, during which new portions of the solution must be poured every 6 hours.
3. Stereotactic removal of the hematoma is carried out using a special device with which the solution for the dissolution of thickened blood is delivered directly to the lesion focus.

Consequences and Forecast

Hemorrhage does not have the best effect on the brain. Photos of people who have suffered this disease can cause tears. But it is much more terrible that only about 50% of patients can survive rupture of blood vessels. The consequences of a hemorrhage in the brain depend on how large the hematoma was and how quickly the patient was treated. Life after a stroke is rarely the same as before. A large number of patients have speech and vision impairment, and there is no sensitivity of the hands or feet. One of the most serious complications of hemorrhage in the brain is epilepsy.