What is the difference between a Stroke and a Brain Haemorrhage?
At The Natalie Kate Moss Trust we are asked all the time; What is the difference between a Stroke and Brain Haemorrhage? Are they completely different things? Which is worse? Can you prevent them?
In this article we break it all down for you.
Have another question? Don’t hesitate to reach out to our team to ask: Email us.
Firstly, it is important for us to define what a Brain Haemorrhage is. A brain haemorrhage is a sub-type of Stroke (and therefore is also referred to as a ‘Haemorrhagic stroke’ ) and occurs when there is bleeding in or around the brain. (Source: World Stroke Organisation). There are two main types of haemorrhagic strokes; Intracerebral Haemorrhage (or ICH) and Subarachnoid Haemorrhage (or SAH). ICH is when there is bleeding within the brain and blood leaks out of a blood vessel into the brain tissue, this is the most common type of haemorrhagic stroke. Whereas SAH is when there is bleeding on the surface of the brain, this is the least common type of haemorrhagic stroke.
Therefore, Brain Haemorrhage is a type of stroke, but often when we hear of someone having ‘a stroke’ they are referring to an Ischemic Stroke, which instead of being a result of bleeding in or around the brain, is due to a blood clot blocking the blood and oxygen supply to the brain. This type of stroke is far more common and accounts for around 85% of strokes.
How many cases a year are there of both Ischemic Strokes and Haemorrhagic Strokes?
There are over 12.2 million new cases of stroke each year; 7.6 million cases of Ischemic Stroke and 4.6 million cases of Haemorrhagic Stroke. As a result 3.3 million people a year die from Ischemic strokes, whilst 3 million people die from haemorrhagic stroke despite there being significantly more cases of Ischemic stroke, demonstrating how fatal brain haemorrhages are; only 3 out of 5 people will survive within one month.
Globally, one in four people over the age of 25 will have a stroke in their lifetime. (Source: World Stroke Organization).
Fancy taking on a challenge for NKMT?
Ready to sign up to your first 10km or maybe your first marathon whilst raising money for life saving research? Click HERE to check out all our races now and sign up today.
Are Ischemic Strokes and Haemorrhagic Strokes caused by the same thing?
The blood clots which cause Ischemic Strokes typically form in areas where the arteries have been narrowed or blocked over time by fatty deposits. This process is known as atherosclerosis. (Source: NHS England)
Your arteries may naturally become narrower as you age, but there are some things that dangerously speed up this process. These include:
Smoking
Obesity
High cholesterol levels
Diabetes
Excessive alcohol intake
Another possible cause of ischaemic stroke is a type of irregular heartbeat called atrial fibrillation. This can cause blood clots in the heart that break apart and end up in the blood vessels that supply the brain.
Haemorrhagic strokes can happen as a result of many different causes such as damage to the blood vessels in the brain, rare abnormalities in the blood vessels or the rupture of a balloon-like expansion of a blood vessel which is called a brain aneurysm (to read about these causes in more detail click here).
But there are some things that can make you more likely to have a haemorrhagic stroke, such as high blood pressure, and a build-up of fatty material in your arteries. The main cause of haemorrhagic stroke is high blood pressure, which can weaken the arteries in the brain and make them more likely to split or rupture. Things that increase the risk of high blood pressure include:
Being overweight
Drinking excessive amounts of alcohol
Smoking
A lack of exercise
Stress
To find out more about managing your blood pressure to help to prevent Ischemic and Haemorrhagic Strokes click here.
Can you do anything to prevent a stroke?
Certain factors do increase your risk of having a stoke, such as:
Age: you're more likely to have a stroke if you're over 55, but about 1 in 4 strokes happen to younger people
Family history: if a close relative (parent, grandparent, brother or sister) has had a stroke, your risk is likely to be higher
Ethnicity: if you're south Asian, African or Caribbean, your risk of stroke is higher, partly because rates of diabetes and high blood pressure are higher in these groups
Your medical history: if you have previously had a stroke, transient ischaemic attack (TIA) or heart attack, your risk of stroke is higher
(Source: NHS England)
However, managing your lifestyle and adopting healthy habits can support in reducing your risk of a stroke. Consider:
Stopping smoking
Maintaining a healthy weight
Eating a nutritious diet (Check out this Video for more information)
Reducing Alcohol Intake
Gentle Exercises to reduce stress (Check out this Video for more information)
Checking and managing your blood pressure is critical in helping you to prevent a stroke - for more information on this, visit our PREVENTION page here.
What are the signs of a stroke? Are they different for an Ischemic Stroke and a Haemorrhagic Stroke?
Time is critically important when someone is having a stroke. Consider the FAST test:
Facial weakness: Can the person smile? Has their mouth or eye drooped?
Arm weakness: Can the person raise both arms?
Speech problems: Can the person speak clearly and understand what you say?
Time to call 999: if you see any of these signs.
For a haemorrhagic stroke a typical sympton is a sudden, severe headache, sometimes called a thunderclap headache. Other common symptoms are a stiff neck, nausea and vomiting.
Other signs and symptoms may include:
complete paralysis of 1 side of the body
sudden loss or blurring of vision
being or feeling sick
dizziness
confusion
difficulty understanding what others are saying
problems with balance and co-ordination
difficulty swallowing (dysphagia)
a sudden and very severe headache resulting in a blinding pain unlike anything experienced before
loss of consciousness
If you think that there is a possibility someone is suffering from a stroke, the most important thing to do is get medical support asap.
To read more about Brain Haemorrhages, click here.
At The Natalie Kate Moss Trust, our aim to prevent as many brain haemorrhages from happening as possible, it is vital to find better treatments to improve survival rates for those we can’t prevent.
By donating a little as the price of a coffee today (£3), you can directly support ground breaking research at The University of Manchester to improve this treatment and stop 3 million lives being lost every year as a result of a brain haemorrhage.