Hemorrhagic Stroke

 About 20% of strokes are hemorrhagic, which means they are caused by uncontrolled bleeding in the brain. This bleeding interrupts normal blood flow in the brain and by “flooding” the brain, kills brain cells.

There are two main types of hemorrhagic stroke:

Subarachnoid hemorrhage is uncontrolled bleeding on the surface of the brain, in the area between the brain and the skull.

Intracerebral hemorrhage occurs when an artery deep within the brain ruptures.

Both types of hemorrhage can be caused by structural problems with the blood vessels in the brain. These include:

Aneurysm: A weakened area in the blood vessel wall of the blood vessel that fills with blood and bulges. High blood pressure or trauma can cause the bulge to rupture, resulting in uncontrolled bleeding into the brain.

AVM (Arteriovenous Malformation): A malformation of the brain’s blood vessels usually present at birth, that causes the artery walls to be weak and increases the risk of hemorrhagic stroke.