Does cerebral hemorrhage have a genetic basis?

Written by Tang Li Li
Neurology
Updated on September 15, 2024
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Cerebral hemorrhage is not hereditary and is not a genetic disease; it is a type of acute cerebrovascular disease. Its occurrence is related to risk factors of cerebrovascular disease, and some risk factors may be related to genetics. Therefore, having a family history of cerebral hemorrhage is considered one of the factors that can increase the incidence rate of cerebral hemorrhage in patients. For example, if a patient's parents have hypertension, diabetes, or hyperlipidemia, these risk factors can significantly increase the likelihood that the patient will also develop these conditions as they age. Long-term hypertension, diabetes, and hyperlipidemia can lead to arterial wall hardening, sometimes resulting in hyaline degeneration. When blood pressure fluctuates, it can easily form microaneurysms that rupture and bleed, thus causing cerebral hemorrhage. Therefore, although cerebral hemorrhage itself is not hereditary, hereditary-related conditions such as hypertension and diabetes might lead to its occurrence.

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Causes of cerebral hemorrhage

There are many causes of cerebral hemorrhage. In most cases, given that patients themselves already have certain underlying diseases, such as hypertension, diabetes, coronary heart disease, and arteriosclerosis, the blood pressure remains high over a long period. This causes the blood vessels to be in a constant state of tension. Over time, the vessels' ability to regulate and contract gradually weakens. When certain triggers occur, such as the patient experiencing fatigue, mental stress, or emotional excitement, the blood pressure temporarily spikes, exceeding the vessels' regulatory capacity, leading to the rupture of the blood vessels and causing cerebral hemorrhage.

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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.

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Principles of Treatment for Cerebral Hemorrhage

For patients with cerebral hemorrhage, the main principle of treatment is to control the blood pressure in a relatively stable state. Blood pressure should not be too high or too low. If it is too low, it can easily lead to insufficient cerebral perfusion pressure, thus causing local cerebral tissue ischemia and hypoxia, leading to the occurrence of cerebral infarction. If the blood pressure is too high, it can easily exceed the regulatory function of the blood vessels, often causing secondary hemorrhage. Secondly, it is important to promptly monitor the patient's vital signs, observe the patient's consciousness, pupils, and limb movement, and timely perform a follow-up head CT scan to dynamically observe the changes in the patient's condition.

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Written by Tang Li Li
Neurology
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Is cerebral hemorrhage dangerous?

Cerebral hemorrhage is a type of acute cerebrovascular accident and is quite dangerous. The risk associated with cerebral hemorrhage is directly related to the amount of bleeding and the location of the bleed. Generally, if it is an ordinary lobar hemorrhage and the volume of blood is less than 30 milliliters, the risk is relatively low, and conservative medical treatment may be sufficient. However, if the bleeding exceeds 30 milliliters, there is an indication for surgery. Without surgery, conservative treatment may lead to an increase in hematoma and progressive surrounding edema, which could compress the brainstem, cause brain herniation, and lead to respiratory and circulatory failure, posing a life-threatening risk. Hemorrhages in the brainstem and cerebellum are even more dangerous. The brainstem is the center of vital functions, including the centers for breathing and heart rate. Typically, a bleeding volume exceeding 5 milliliters in the brainstem can lead to patient death. Since the cerebellum is close to the brainstem and might compress it, a bleeding volume exceeding 10 milliliters in the cerebellum often warrants consideration for surgery.

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Cerebral hemorrhage CT manifestations

The CT manifestations of cerebral hemorrhage include, in the acute phase, the CT scan showing round or oval-shaped uniform high-density fresh hematoma with clear boundaries. It can determine the location, size, and shape of the hematoma, whether it has ruptured into the ventricle, and surrounding low-density edema. There are also effects of space-occupying lesions such as compression of the ventricles and brain tissue displacement, as well as obstructive hydrocephalus and other conditions where a large amount of blood in the ventricles contributes to high-density expansion. The hematoma's pressure on the surrounding brain tissue can lead to ischemia and commonly cause a characteristic ring-shaped low density due to edema around the hematoma.