Intracranial Hemorrhage

Intracerebral hemorrhages in children are generally caused by abnormal vascular formations or blood clots. Adults or children may acquire an intracranial hemorrhage from a range of causes:

• Head injury — Vehicular accidents, falls, sports injuries, or trauma due to violence
• Arteriovenous malformations — Cerebral AVMs consist of an abnormal network of veins and arteries in the brain that cause blood pooling in the brain.
• Cerebral aneurysms — Brain aneurysms can burst causing blood to leak out of the blood vessel wall
• Moyamoya disease — The narrowing of the carotid during Moyamoya disease and the development of additional blood vessels may cause bleeding in the brain tissue.
• Other abnormal vascular formations — Arteriovenous fistula and cavernous malformation may also cause intracranial hemorrhages
• Vascular tumors — Certain tumors in and around the brain can also cause bleeding in the skull.

Adults are more likely to have an intracranial hemorrhage caused by hypertension.

Intracranial hemorrhage symptoms occur due to the lack of oxygen to the brain cells leading to the cells’ death and the disruption of nerve cell function — causing a stroke.

• Weakness and numbness
• Problems with speech
• Blurred vision
• Paralysis

Head injury symptoms may be immediate or can take weeks to form. Other symptoms may include

• Headache
• Confusion
• Personality shifts
• Nausea and/or vomiting
• Seizure
• Lethargy
• Loss of consciousness

If your symptoms are indicative of an intracranial hemorrhage, seek emergency medical services right away.