brain haemorrhage causes - #15548
I am feeling really confused and freaked out about my partner’s recent health scare. Just a few weeks ago, he suddenly started having these terrible headaches that he described as the worst pain he's ever felt. I thought it was just stress from work but then he had this major dizzy spell and ended up fainting. We rushed him to the hospital, and after a ton of tests, the doctors said it was a brain haemorrhage. They mentioned a couple brain haemorrhage causes but they were super technical and honestly, I couldn’t keep up. I remember them talking about high blood pressure and aneurysms. I am wonderin’, could there be other brain haemorrhage causes that we might not know about? Like, how could this happen so suddenly? He’s only in his late thirties and appeared healthy before this. We’ve always lead a pretty active lifestyle and even eat right, so it feels really scary to me. Are there specific risk factors we should be worried about as we move forward? I just need to understand this better before we go to the follow-up appointment, because I still can’t wrap my head around what we’re dealing with. Any insights would be appreciated!!
100% Anonymously
No sign-up needed.

Doctors’ responses
Brain haemorrhages can indeed be overwhelming, especially when they happen unexpectedly in someone who seems otherwise healthy. It’s understandable that you want to grasp what’s going on, especially with the technical explanations flying around. The main causes of brain haemorrhages include high blood pressure, as you mentioned, and these are often a key offender due to the extra strain it places on blood vessel walls. Aneurysms, those weakened bulges in blood vessels, when ruptured, are another common culprit. But there are other causes too. For example, arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) are an abnormal tangling of blood vessels that can rupture, though they’re less common. Trauma to the head is an obvious one, but, given your partner’s age and presumably lack of any significant head injury you mentioned, we’ll skip that. Additionally, certain medications like blood thinners (anticoagulants) can increase the risk of bleeding, though they’re often prescribed with good reason. Other potential factors include blood disorders, tumors, or cerebral amyloid angiopathy, more typical in older populations but generally not out of the question. Lifestyle factors like much alcohol use and even illicit drug use (particularly cocaine or amphetamines) influence this risk. Given he’s in his late thirties and physically active, the doctors will probably focus on managing any underlying conditions, like controlling blood pressure, especially if that was a contributing factor in this case. Moving forward, ensuring that regular medical check-ups are part of your routine can help monitor any risk factors. Attending those follow-up appointments, alongside a detailed family health history, can help you and the healthcare providers pinpoint if hereditary factors could be at play as well and tailor a plan to mitigate future risks.
100% Anonymously
Get expert answers anytime, completely confidential. No sign-up needed.
About our doctors
Only qualified doctors who have confirmed the availability of medical education and other certificates of medical practice consult on our service. You can check the qualification confirmation in the doctor's profile.