What is a brain haemorrhage?
The word haemorrhage comes from the Greek haimorrhagia and means “blood bursting forth”. It is a type of stroke that can be fatal and occurs when there is bleeding on the surface of the brain, just below the arachnoid membrane. It is most commonly caused by an aneurysm, which is a small, balloon-like swelling on an artery. The haemorrhage happens when the aneurysm wall bursts and blood escapes into the surrounding tissue, killing brain cells.
How do you know it is happening?
There are usually no warning signs, but it sometimes happens during physical effort or straining, such as coughing, going to the toilet or lifting something heavy. It can feel like a sudden hit on the head followed by a sudden agonising headache. Other symptoms include a stiff neck, being sick, sensitivity to light and blurred or double vision.
What causes it?
Contributing factors include smoking, high blood pressure and excessive alcohol consumption, but aneurysms can occur in people without these known risk factors. In most cases there is no way of identifying people who are at risk. There is a slight hereditary factor. More women are affected than men, and they are most common in people aged between 45 and 70.
How is it treated?
After a scan and medication to reduce the risk of secondary brain damage caused by reduced blood flow to the brain, surgery under general anaesthetic is often needed. One method involves a neurosurgeon cutting a bone flap in the skull and sealing the aneurysm shut with a tiny metal clip that stays permanently clamped in place. Another involves passing tiny platinum coils through the vascular system from an incision in the groin, to seal off the aneurysm from the main artery.
What are the long-term effects?
There is a danger that the aneurysm can burst again or there is brain damage. If you survive, memory and concentration are commonly affected and depression and anxiety can occur. Epilepsy develops in around one in 20 people. Headaches, tiredness and loss of sensation in other parts of the body during recovery are not uncommon.
Sources: NHS and the Brain and Spine Foundation
