What is an intraparenchymal haemorrhage?
Intraparenchymal haemorrhage occurs when a blood vessel bursts into the functional tissue of the brain.
What causes an intraparenchymal haemorrhage?
The most common cause of an intraparenchymal haemorrhage is high blood pressure, particularly if it’s untreated or the individual is unaware of their condition. Many people are unaware they have high blood pressure as usually it has no symptoms.
In younger people, abnormal blood vessels in the brain may cause intracerebral haemorrhage.
Some of the less common causes include:
- Tumour
- Using blood thinners
- Trauma or head injury
- Drug abuse
- Problems with blood-clotting
- Certain blood disorders such as sickle cell anaemia
What are the symptoms of intraparenchymal haemorrhage?
Symptoms may develop immediately after a trauma blow to your head, or they can take weeks or even longer to appear. The period where you seem fine after a head injury is called the lucid interval.
As pressure on your brain increases, you will produce some or all of the following symptoms:
- Vomiting
- Loss of consciousness
- Dizziness
- Confusion
- Unequal pupil size
- Constantly increasing headache
- Slurred speech.
As more blood fills your brain, some of the following symptoms may become apparent:
- Seizures
- Lethargy
- Unconsciousness.
Seek immediate medical attention after a blow to the head if you:
- Lose consciousness
- Have a persistent headache
- Vomit
- Have limb weakness
- Vision is blurred
- Feel unsteady on your feet.
