Hemorrhagic Stroke: How to Spot and Prevent It

Common Symptoms of a Hemorrhagic Stroke

Stroke symptoms can come on suddenly, especially with a hemorrhagic stroke. Getting prompt medical attention is critical if you happen to notice any of those symptoms in yourself or another person.

A standard solution to recognize stroke symptoms is to recollect the acronym FAST:

• Face: Uneven face, droopy eyelid, or uneven smile
• Arm: One side of the body is weaker or feels different than the opposite
• Speech: Difficulty speaking, communicating, or understanding what other individuals are saying
• Time: Call 911 for help immediately

Additionally, if you’ve gotten a severe headache, changes in consciousness, or seizures, call 911.

How a Hemorrhagic Stroke Is Diagnosed

A hemorrhagic stroke is diagnosed by the identical methods as an ischemic stroke. Healthcare providers assess symptoms, do a physical examination, and order diagnostic testing. A hemorrhagic stroke can often be diagnosed quickly with a computerized tomography (CT) scan of the brain.

After an initial diagnosis, other testing may include:

• Blood tests: These can assist in identifying conditions that will result in stroke or to susceptibility to bleeding.
• Magnetic residence imaging (MRI) of the brain: This test can discover brain damage, reminiscent of early ischemic changes.
• Brain angiography: This test can visualize the blood vessels within the brain to discover abnormalities that will require surgical intervention.

Often, brain imaging is repeated days after a hemorrhagic stroke to evaluate whether bleeding has slowed and edema is subsiding.

Emergency Treatment for a Hemorrhagic Stroke

A hemorrhagic stroke often requires prompt medical intervention. There are many various treatments, and the choice regarding which treatments are best for you or the one you love depends upon many aspects.

Treatments include:

• Blood pressure management
• Blood sugar stabilization
• Medication to scale back brain edema
• Fluid management
• Anti-seizure medication

Sometimes, surgery is obligatory to assist prevent the damage of hemorrhagic stroke.

Surgical Treatment

Surgical treatment after a hemorrhagic stroke may include a short lived removal of a portion of the skull (hemicraniectomy) with a view to reduce the pressure from the bleeding and swelling. Sometimes, removal of blood is feasible as well.

If a brain aneurysm is found during diagnostic testing, it might have to be repaired to forestall recurrent bleeding.

Recovery From a Hemorrhagic Stroke

Recovering from a hemorrhagic stroke can take months or longer. Recovery can include rehabilitation, physical therapy, and occupational therapy. These therapies will likely be tailored to provide help to or the one you love regain skills that were lost as a result of the stroke.

Additionally, lifestyle changes could also be obligatory to take care of optimal health and stop a future stroke. These changes may include smoking cessation, dietary adjustments, staying lively to shed extra pounds, and stress management.

The Rehabilitation Process

Different features of rehabilitation after a stroke can include:

• Speech therapy
• Swallow therapy
• Physical therapy to regain strength and coordination
• Cognitive therapy to assist with communication and considering skills
• Occupational therapy to higher adapt to physical limitations attributable to the stroke

You may have a long-term plan that involves working with multiple specialists as you recuperate from a hemorrhagic stroke. Rehabilitation may happen in a wide range of settings, including inpatient facilities, expert nursing facilities, outpatient clinics, and at home.

Complications of a Hemorrhagic Stroke

Complications may occur after a hemorrhagic stroke, although not everybody will experience every complication.

Some potential complications may include:

• Epilepsy (seizure disorder)
• Paralysis
• Impaired speech
• Vision loss
• Cognitive (considering and reasoning) impairment
• Difficulty walking
• Persistent, recurrent headaches
• Difficulty chewing or swallowing

The level of impairment chances are you’ll experience will likely be related to the situation of the hemorrhagic stroke in your brain. For example, individuals who have bleeding within the frontal lobe could have difficulty with cognitive skills, while individuals who experience bleeding within the parietal lobe can have weakness on one side of the body or impaired speech.

How to Prevent a Hemorrhagic Stroke

Strategies for reducing the danger of hemorrhagic stroke include lifestyle modifications and medical interventions.

Prevention of a hemorrhagic stroke relies on strategies much like ischemic stroke prevention approaches. If you’ve gotten certain risk aspects, you could have additional preventative strategies that it is advisable consider.

Prevention includes:

• Maintaining a healthy blood pressure
• Controlling diabetes
• Maintaining a healthy weight
• Keeping your cholesterol and triglycerides at a healthy level
• Staying physically lively
• Avoiding smoking or quitting if you happen to smoke
• Getting treatment for heart disease if you’ve gotten heart disease
• Consuming alcohol sparsely or not consuming any in any respect
• Not using recreational drugs
• If you’ve gotten a brain aneurysm, get treatment or medical remark
• If you’ve gotten a history of brain aneurysm, get screening

What’s the Outlook for Someone After a Hemorrhagic Stroke?

In general, a hemorrhagic stroke is taken into account dangerous, and for some people it’s life-threatening. The damage after hemorrhagic stroke may cause everlasting weakness—which can necessitate using a cane, a walker, or a wheelchair.

Additionally, some people must remain on anti-seizure medication for the long run, because a hemorrhagic stroke may cause epilepsy.

Recovery after a hemorrhagic stroke is variable—some people may have the ability to take care of independence, drive, and return to work, while others may have assistance with activities of day by day living. Your recovery might be anywhere in between these extremes.

How much recovery you must expect is difficult to predict, however the larger the stroke is, the more severe the anticipated disability. Additionally, having had previous strokes or other health problems could make the general consequence worse.

Hemorrhagic Stroke in Children

A baby who has a severe traumatic head injury during birth or as a result of an accident could experience a hemorrhagic stroke. The outlook depends upon the severity of the bleeding, the extent of injury, the situation of the bleeding, and the way promptly treatment begins.

If your child has experienced a hemorrhagic stroke, they’ll likely need close medical remark and care. With guidance and rehabilitation, you must have the ability to get an idea out of your child’s doctors about recovery and long-term expectations.

Summary

Hemorrhagic stroke, which is less common than ischemic stroke, is a form of stroke that’s attributable to bleeding within the brain. A hemorrhagic stroke may cause weakness in a single side of the body, speech impairment, vision changes, and a severe and sudden headache.

Complications of a hemorrhagic stroke can include vision loss, paralysis, lack of speech abilities, and seizures. Hemorrhagic strokes might be life-threatening.

Treatment can involve fluid management, blood pressure management, and seizure control. It can also require a surgical treatment to remove blood and reduce damage attributable to brain swelling.

Recovery after a hemorrhagic stroke involves physical therapy and rehabilitation, in addition to treatment to forestall one other stroke.