Intracerebral hemorrhage is most commonly caused by hypertension, arteriovenous malformations, or head trauma. Old age, male sex, Asian ethnicity, chronic kidney disease, cerebral amyloid angiopathy, and cerebral microbleeds increase the risk of intracerebral hemorrhage.
Current smoking and heavy alcohol consumption are associated with increased risk of intracerebral hemorrhage. An Australian case-control study showed an inverse relationship between cholesterol level and the risk of intracerebral hemorrhage.
An intracerebral hemorrhage occurs after a blood vessel bursts in the brain, flooding brain tissue with blood. The excess blood in the brain causes a pressure buildup, which can damage brain cells. In cases where blood builds up too rapidly, a person may pass out or die.
Around 85% of cases are due to cerebral small vessel disease, predominantly deep perforator arteriopathy (also termed hypertensive arteriopathy or arteriosclerosis) and cerebral amyloid angiopathy, while the remainder results from a macrovascular (eg, arteriovenous malformation, cavernoma, aneurysm and venous thrombosis) or neoplastic cause.
Surviving a hemorrhagic stroke depends on the severity of the stroke and how fast the person is able to get treatment. Unfortunately, the majority of people who have a stroke die within a couple of days. About a quarter of survivors are able to live longer than five years, but the recovery process is long and slow.
Intracerebral hemorrhage
