Personal Injury Law

Brain hemorrhages explained

With the hospitalization of Bret Michaels in the news, the Illinois brain injury attorneys at Levin & Perconti appreciated CNN.com piece about brain hemorrhages. Although we have blogged about several different brain injuries and their devastating effects, we thought our readers would also be interested in an in-depth explanation of brain hemorrhages.

Doctors say that the feeling of blood hitting the brain?s sensitive covering can cause the injured person to experience the worst headache of his or her life, which is what singer Bret Michaels may have experienced prior to his admission at the hospital. Subarachnoid hemorrhages occurs when blood enters the space between the brain and its transparent web-like tissue covering, the same location where spinal fluid is located. About 65,000 brain hemorrhages occur yearly in America, according to the chairman of neurosurgery at the Hospital of University of Pennsylvania.

When an individual experiences a brain hemorrhage, many things can happen. Some people experience the onset of the worst headache of their life and can still be awake and alert; these are referred to thunderclap headaches. These patients often have good recoveries and do not have recurrences. The most common cause of a hemorrhage is a physical injury, such as a car accident or a fall taken by an elderly individual. However, for spontaneous subarachnoid hemorrhages, a brain aneurysm is the likely culprit. An aneurysm is a bulging of a blood vessel in the brain. About half of the people with a ruptured aneurysm unfortunately die from the rupture itself. While hospitalized, people suffering from hemorrhages have an angiogram, a test that helps to visualize the blood vessels. But, sometimes aneurysms are not visualized because clotting can fill the aneurysm.

In addition to the ?worst headache of your life,? other symptoms of brain hemorrhages include sudden loss of consciousness or diminished consciousness, nausea and vomiting, seizure, stiff neck, vision problems and mood changes, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Click the link to read more about brain hemorrhages.

Full post as published by Illinois Injury Lawyer Blog on May 01, 2010 (boomark / email).