Head trauma or spontaneous rupture of a ballooned artery or malformed blood vessel can cause bleeding in the brain, also known as a cerebral hemorrhage. The brain fits tightly into the intracranial space within the rigid skull, leaving little room for blood accumulation. Symptoms of brain bleeding reflect loss of blood supply to a region of the brain or the effects of increased intracranial pressure caused by blood pooling and brain swelling.
Headache
An increasingly painful headache is a hallmark symptom of brain bleeding. Bleeding associated with a subdural or epidural hemorrhage typically causes a gradual onset headache that builds in intensity over a period of hours to days, depending on the rate of bleeding. A subdural bleed occurs beneath the outermost covering of the brain, the dura mater. An epidural bleed occurs between the skull and the dura mater; these bleeds usually occur in conjunction with a skull fracture. Headache pain associated with subdural or epidural hemorrhage increases in parallel with an expanding volume of blood accumulation. A subarachnoid hemorrhage is a brain bleed between the brain surface and the middle layer of the brain coverings, the arachnoid mater. In contrast to epidural and subdural hemorrhages, headache associated with a subarachnoid bleed begins suddenly and proves severe from the outset. The UCLA Health System Department of Neurosurgery notes that a sudden severe headache occurs in more than 95 percent of people who develop a subarachnoid hemorrhage.
Nausea and Vomiting
Nausea and vomiting often occur with epidural, subdural or subarachnoid hemorrhage, notes the National Library of Medicine's medical encyclopedia MedlinePlus. Nausea and vomiting develop as an effect of increased intracranial pressure associated with the accumulation of blood in the intracranial space.
Drowsiness and Decreased Level of Consciousness
Brain hemorrhage or a hemorrhagic stroke--bleeding within the brain caused by rupture of an artery--can cause a reduced level of consciousness. In its mildest form, this symptom manifests as drowsiness. More severe forms of decreased consciousness include lethargy, stupor and coma. The University of Maryland Medical Center notes that a progressively decreasing level of consciousness is an ominous sign that may herald the development of brain herniation--squeezing of the brain tissue against the rigid edges of the skull structures. Brain herniation is a life-threatening complication of cerebral hemorrhage.
Focal Weakness and Neurologic Abnormalities
Brain hemorrhage or a hemorrhagic stroke often causes focal weakness wherein the muscles of a specific area of the body develop partial or complete paralysis, reports the National Library of Medicine's MedlinePlus. The arms, legs or facial muscle are commonly affected. Involvement of the muscles of the mouth and throat commonly cause speaking and swallowing difficulties.
Bleeds in other functional areas of the brain may cause diverse symptoms, including difficulty understanding language, difficulty formulating speech, visual disturbances, hearing loss, balance difficulty, focal numbness, memory loss, confusion and irritability.
