Subscribe
Intracerebral hemorrhage
Causes of cerebral hemorrhage
The most common cause of cerebral hemorrhage is hypertensive cerebral hemorrhage. Patients with hypertension who do not adequately control their blood pressure, which frequently fluctuates, can lead to hardening of the cerebral vessels. The elasticity of the cerebral vessel walls diminishes, and when the blood pressure rises sharply, it can cause the cerebral vessels to rupture, leading to cerebral hemorrhage. This is the most common cause of cerebral hemorrhage, accounting for over 80%. Another common cause of cerebral hemorrhage is the rupture of cerebral aneurysms, which often leads to subarachnoid hemorrhage. Patients with this condition experience severe headaches, consciousness disturbances, and restlessness. Subarachnoid hemorrhage is a relatively severe medical condition with a high mortality rate. Additionally, some cerebral hemorrhages are caused by trauma, leading to cerebral contusion, skull fractures, subdural hematoma, and epidural hematoma. These causes account for a relatively small proportion of clinical cases.
How to care for cerebral hemorrhage
Cerebral hemorrhage is a very dangerous neurological disease. In addition to conducting related drug treatments to control the condition, prevent the enlargement of the hemorrhage, and prevent the recurrence of cerebral thrombosis, nursing care is also very important. The nursing of cerebral hemorrhage mainly includes the following aspects: First, it is essential to address the patient's mental state and soothe their emotions because large emotional fluctuations can easily lead to an increase in the amount of cerebral hemorrhage. Second, patients should be advised to rest in bed and avoid vigorous activities. Early ambulation can also easily lead to an increase in cerebral hemorrhage. Third, it is important to maintain smooth bowel movements. If the bowel movements are not smooth, or even constipated, excessive straining during defecation can cause an increase in cerebral hemorrhage. Fourth, patients with cerebral hemorrhage often have some associated complications, such as pulmonary infections and acute ulcers, among other diseases. It is crucial for patients to be attentive to turning over, patting the back, suctioning phlegm, and administering antibiotics in a timely manner if necessary. For the prevention of acute gastric mucosal lesions and acute ulcers, patients should eat soft, easily digestible food.
What can be eaten with cerebral hemorrhage?
Intracerebral hemorrhage is an extremely dangerous neurological disease. Its onset is very sudden, with patients experiencing headaches, nausea, vomiting, as well as symptoms like limb paralysis, numbness, and speech impairments. Additionally, the gastrointestinal function of patients is significantly affected during an intracerebral hemorrhage, making them very susceptible to acute ulcers and acute gastric mucosal lesions. Hence, there are some precautions to consider regarding diet. In the acute phase of intracerebral hemorrhage, it is recommended to eat softer, easily digestible foods, such as rice porridge, millet porridge, sesame paste, etc., which are easier to digest and can help reduce the burden on the gastrointestinal tract. After the acute phase, the patient should consume more fresh vegetables and fruits, which can help maintain regular bowel movements, beneficial for the recovery from intracerebral hemorrhage. These also provide a rich source of vitamins that can protect vascular endothelial cells and reduce the recurrence of intracerebral hemorrhage. Additionally, eating high-quality proteins such as drinking milk, eating eggs, and lean meats can help enhance the patient's resistance and reduce complications.
What causes cerebral hemorrhage?
Brain hemorrhage is a common problem that can be caused by many phenomena. The most common causes include hypertension and arteriosclerosis, which can lead to the rupture of blood vessels and consequently brain hemorrhage. Other cerebrovascular abnormalities, such as vascular malformations, cavernous angiomas, or intracranial aneurysms can also lead to brain hemorrhage. Additionally, brain tumors that rupture can cause hemorrhage, as can conditions where there are issues with blood coagulation function and poor clotting times. Some patients may experience brain hemorrhage due to cerebral lipoid degeneration, and trauma can also cause brain hemorrhage.
Preliminary symptoms of cerebral hemorrhage
Cerebral hemorrhage is a severe and sudden onset condition that usually starts without any prodromal symptoms, manifesting as hemiplegia, severe headaches, or even coma. However, some patients may exhibit certain early symptoms, which mainly include: First, headache, which is not particularly severe, is tolerable, but typically affects the forehead and both temporal areas. Second, patients generally have very high, hard-to-control blood pressure. If the blood pressure is extremely high and difficult to manage, the possibility of cerebral hemorrhage should be considered. Third, in the early stages of cerebral hemorrhage, patients may experience symptoms such as dizziness, blurred vision, and general weakness. Overall, the early symptoms of cerebral hemorrhage are not particularly typical. If a patient with high blood pressure becomes hard to manage, experiences slight headaches, dizziness, blurred vision, and some nausea, these may be indicative of the early symptoms of cerebral hemorrhage.
Early warning signs of cerebral hemorrhage
Cerebral hemorrhage is an emergency in neurology, typically presenting acutely with little to no warning signs. Patients usually experience rapid onset of symptoms including headache, nausea, vomiting, and paralysis of limbs. A detailed look at the patient's medical history may reveal some prodromal symptoms such as recent overexertion, emotional excitement, lack of rest, or constipation, which are common triggers. If a patient experiences repeated chronic headaches and general weakness, these could be the mechanical prodromal symptoms of cerebral hemorrhage. A significant fluctuation in blood pressure should also raise concerns about the possibility of a cerebral hemorrhage. Once a cerebral hemorrhage occurs, it is crucial to promptly seek hospital treatment. If the volume of the hemorrhage is substantial, it poses a life-threatening risk to the patient and surgical treatment may be necessary. If the hemorrhage is smaller, conservative treatment may suffice, focusing on bed rest, maintaining emotional stability, and administering neuroprotective medications.
How to Prevent Cerebral Hemorrhage
To understand how to prevent cerebral hemorrhage, we need to clarify what causes it. Generally, the most common cause of cerebral hemorrhage is hypertension. Long-term hypertension can lead to hyaline degeneration of the walls of small arteries and occlusion necrosis. Over time, small arteries rupture, leading to cerebral hemorrhage. Other blood system diseases, such as leukemia, deficiency of clotting factors, some tumors, and cerebral vascular malformations, can also cause cerebral hemorrhage. Therefore, the most important preventive measure is to actively control blood pressure. Regularly, one must maintain a low-salt, low-fat diet, engage in appropriate physical activities, enhance physical fitness, avoid smoking, and abstain from alcohol to effectively prevent hypertension and avoid hypertension-induced cerebral hemorrhage. For cerebral hemorrhage caused by other reasons, regular health check-ups should be done, including complete blood counts and coagulation tests, to rule out blood diseases causing cerebral hemorrhage.
Sequelae of cerebral hemorrhage
The most common sequelae of cerebral hemorrhage is hemiplegia, which is specifically characterized by reduced muscle strength in the limbs on one side, difficulty in movement or complete immobility, often accompanied by sensory impairments on the same side, such as reduced sensation to cold, heat, pain, etc., or complete numbness. Sometimes there may also be vision loss on the affected side, as well as aphasia, headache, vertigo, and nausea.
What are the symptoms of cerebral hemorrhage?
For patients with cerebral hemorrhage, the symptoms vary clinically due to different amounts of bleeding and instability of the hemorrhage, which affect the surrounding brain tissue to different extents. For patients with minor cerebral hemorrhage, the impact is generally minor, and most patients only exhibit mild symptoms such as headache, dizziness, nausea, and retching. For patients with larger bleeding volumes located in crucial motor and speech functional areas, they often show symptoms such as unilateral limb paralysis and abnormal sensations in the affected limbs, accompanied by significant headaches, dizziness, reduced intellectual levels, cognitive impairments, and even aphasia.
Is cerebral hemorrhage serious?
The critical period for cerebral hemorrhage is generally around 14 days, as it primarily involves overcoming two most dangerous phases. The first phase is within three days of the cerebral hemorrhage. This period is most feared for the potential increase in bleeding. Often, if blood pressure is not well controlled, it can easily lead to further bleeding, especially within the first three days which has the highest incidence. The second phase is approximately 10-14 days after the cerebral hemorrhage, because this period marks the peak of cerebral swelling and cerebral vasospasm. The main concern here is severe cerebral swelling and cerebral vasospasm, which can lead to cerebral infarction, and potentially extensive cerebral infarction, possibly resulting in death. Trepanation surgery may be necessary to save the patient.