Understand and Aware the Symptoms of Brain Hemorrhage

Brain hemorrhage or commonly known as hemorrhagic stroke is a condition that occurs when an artery in the brain bursts, causing blood to leak out into the surrounding tissue. This condition can occur in several locations in the brain, starting from the brain tissue under the protective covering of the brain, the skull.

What are the causes of brain hemorrhage?

Brain hemorrhages can be caused by various factors, including:

  • There is high blood pressure
  • There is an injury to the head
  • There are abnormalities in the blood vessels
  • Blood clotting disorders
  • Aneurysm / swelling of the blood vessels
  • Abnormalities in the walls of blood vessels
  • Are taking blood thinners.

What are the symptoms of a brain hemorrhage?  

In general, a person with a brain hemorrhage will experience several symptoms, such as:

  1. Very bad headache
    The appearance of pain in the head that is very severe and sudden like being struck by lightning is one of the main signs of a brain hemorrhage. Typically, the pain in the first 60 seconds will be intense and last for five minutes and will start to subside a few hours afterward. In addition, these symptoms can also be accompanied by a feeling of confusion (delirium) and spraying vomiting experienced by sufferers.
  2. Weakening of some limbs
    The next symptom that most often occurs is the weakness of part to half of the body such as the hands and feet. In addition, there may also be tingling or numbness on one side of the body, clinical variations depending on the location of the bleeding brain.
  3. Difficulty in speaking
    Brain bleeding conditions can cause damage to the cranial nerves, namely nerves that function to support facial muscle movements. This then leads to sufferers who have difficulty speaking due to weakness of the lips, palate, and tongue muscles. Another symptom that can be experienced is speech that becomes slurred and stammers.
  4. seizures
    People with brain hemorrhages can suddenly have seizures for the first time.
  5. Loss of consciousness
    When brain bleeding is too severe and extends to the space in the middle of the brain (ventricles), the patient can experience confusion/delirium, lethargy and weakness, until he loses consciousness.
  6. Difficulty swallowing
    Just like difficulty in speaking, people with brain hemorrhage have a tendency to have difficulty chewing and swallowing food because the control of the masticatory muscles is reduced.
  7. Shortness of breath and abnormal heart rate
    The presence of bleeding in the brainstem can cause brain bleeding sufferers to experience difficulty in breathing and changes in heart rate.
  8. Nausea and vomiting
    Patients with brain hemorrhage will experience nausea and vomiting spraying as a result of stimulation of the chemoreceptors by brain bleeding. These chemoreceptors are normally the part of the brain that functions for Monitoring substances and drugs in the body when the substance levels are excessive, it will order the body to vomit.

These are the causes and symptoms of brain bleeding to watch out for. If you or your closest relatives experience similar symptoms, immediately consult a trusted doctor and hospital for follow-up.

Article written by dr. Kevin, Sp.N (Neurologist / Nerve Specialist at EMC Alam Sutera Hospital).