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
Learn More
- Hemorrhagic Stroke (Bleeds) (American Stroke Association) Also in Spanish
- Subarachnoid hemorrhage (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Genetics
- COL4A1-related brain small-vessel disease: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
- Familial porencephaly: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)
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)
Patient Handouts
- Preventing stroke (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Stroke - discharge (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish