Health Topics
Official websites use .gov
A
.gov website belongs to an official government
organization in the United States.
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A
lock (
) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to
the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official,
secure websites.
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)
Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: Causal relationship between statins and hemorrhagic stroke: A drug-target Mendelian randomization...
- Article: Causes and clinical presentation of stroke in children in Cameroon.
- Article: Hemorrhagic Stroke in Atrial Fibrillation: Trends in Incidence, Case Fatality, and...
- Hemorrhagic Stroke -- see more articles
Patient Handouts
- Preventing stroke (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
- Stroke - discharge (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
The information on this site should not be used as a substitute for professional medical care or advice. Contact a health care provider if you have questions about your health.