What Causes a Brain Hemorrhage?

2025-05-23

A brain hemorrhage is a serious medical emergency that occurs when a blood vessel in the brain ruptures, allowing blood to leak into or around the brain tissue. This causes damage both directly and through the increased pressure inside the skull. But what exactly causes a vessel in the brain to burst? To understand that, it’s important to also understand the connection between brain hemorrhage and stroke.

A Brain Hemorrhage Is a Type of Stroke

Stroke is a broad term that includes two main types of acute brain injury:

Brain hemorrhages account for approximately 10–15% of all strokes but are typically more deadly than ischemic strokes. (1) The symptoms are often similar—sudden paralysis, speech problems, or loss of consciousness—and always require immediate emergency care.

Two Common Types of Brain Hemorrhage

The most frequent types are:

  • Intracerebral hemorrhage – bleeding within brain tissue.

  • Subarachnoid hemorrhage – bleeding in the space between the brain and the membranes that surround it, often from a ruptured aneurysm.

Though both are dangerous, their causes differ somewhat.

Common Causes of Intracerebral Hemorrhage

  1. High blood pressure (hypertension)
    The leading cause. Prolonged high pressure weakens small arteries in the brain until they rupture. Around 60–70% of intracerebral hemorrhages are linked to hypertension. (2)

  2. Atherosclerosis (arterial hardening)
    Makes blood vessels more rigid and prone to damage.

  3. Anticoagulant medications
    Blood-thinners like warfarin, NOACs, or aspirin increase bleeding risk, especially after a fall or head trauma.

  4. Coagulation disorders and blood diseases
    Rare, but important causes where the blood doesn’t clot properly.

  5. Brain tumors
    Especially highly vascularized tumors may bleed spontaneously.

Common Causes of Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

  1. Aneurysm
    A weakened area in a blood vessel wall that bulges out. When it ruptures, it causes a sudden and often fatal bleed. Around 85% of subarachnoid hemorrhages are caused by aneurysms. (3)

  2. Arteriovenous malformations (AVMs)
    Congenital malformations where arteries and veins connect abnormally and may rupture.

  3. Head trauma
    Strong impacts to the head can lead to bleeding under the brain’s outer membranes.

Additional Risk Factors

  • Smoking – damages vessels and increases aneurysm risk.

  • Excessive alcohol consumption – affects blood pressure and vessel health.

  • Drug use – especially cocaine and amphetamines, can cause sudden spikes in blood pressure.

  • Age – older adults have more fragile blood vessels.

  • Genetics – some people inherit vessel abnormalities or clotting disorders.

A personal alarm that can be triggered at any time

Sensorem’s personal alarm can automatically trigger the alarm in the event of a fall and then automatically call relatives using the watch’s built-in speakerphone with two-way communication. The user can also trigger the alarm manually by pressing the physical alarm button. The personal alarm works outdoors and has built-in GPS positioning so that relatives can see the user’s position on a map in the Sensorem app.

 

 

SENSOREM’S PERSONAL ALARM CAN INCREASE SAFETY AFTER A STROKE

Sources
  1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). “Stroke Facts,” 2023.
  2. Qureshi AI et al. Intracerebral hemorrhage. The Lancet, 2009.
  3. van Gijn J, Rinkel GJE. Subarachnoid haemorrhage: diagnosis, causes and management. Brain, 2001.