Hemorrhagic Stroke

Summary

A stroke is a medical emergency. There are two types – ischemic and hemorrhagic. Hemorrhagic stroke is the less common type. It happens when a blood vessel breaks and bleeds into the brain. Within minutes, brain cells begin to die. Causes include a bleeding aneurysm, an arteriovenous malformation (AVM), or an artery wall that breaks open.

Symptoms of stroke are:

• Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg (especially on one side of the body)
• Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding speech
• Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
• Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
• Sudden severe headache with no known cause

It is important to treat strokes as quickly as possible. With a hemorrhagic stroke, the first steps are to find the cause of bleeding in the brain and then control it. Surgery may be needed. Post-stroke rehabilitation can help people overcome disabilities caused by stroke damage.

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

Encyclopedia

• Cerebral amyloid angiopathy Medical Encyclopedia

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Hemorrhagic Stroke National Institutes of Health
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Intracranial Hemorrhages National Institutes of Health
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Subarachnoid Hemorrhage National Institutes of Health

Genetics

• COL4A1-related brain small-vessel disease: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine
• Familial porencephaly: MedlinePlus Genetics National Library of Medicine

Learn More

• Hemorrhagic Stroke (Bleeds) American Stroke Association
• Subarachnoid hemorrhage Medical Encyclopedia

Patient Handouts

• Preventing stroke Medical Encyclopedia
• Stroke – discharge Medical Encyclopedia

Journal Articles

• Hemorrhagic Stroke