Certified by the American Board of Neurological Surgery, Dr. Brian Hoh is an associate professor in the Department of Neurosurgery at the University of Florida. Dr. Brian Hoh is a sought-after expert on a wide range of neurological issues, including stroke.

1. By Brian Hoh

2. Certified by the American Board of
Neurological Surgery, Dr. Brian Hoh is an
associate professor in the Department of
Neurosurgery at the University of Florida. Dr.
Brian Hoh is a sought-after expert on a wide
range of neurological issues, including stroke.

3. Most strokes are caused by the narrowing or
blockage of an artery. However, about 13
percent of strokes are hemorrhagic in nature,
meaning that a blood vessel in the brain either
leaks or bursts.

4. Hemorrhagic strokes can be caused by several
disorders, including chronic, uncontrolled
hypertension and a weak spot in a blood vessel wall
called an aneurysm. There are two main types of
hemorrhagic stroke: intracerebral and subarachnoid.
An intracerebral hemorrhage is characterized by the
rupture of a blood vessel inside the brain that causes
brain cell damage. A subarachnoid hemorrhage is
caused usually from a ruptured brain aneurysm and is
bleeding in between two layers of thin membrane (the
arachnoid and the pia) around the brain, leading to
increased brain pressure, cell damage, and
contamination of the protective fluid around the brain.

5. The classic sign of a hemorrhagic stroke is a
severe headache that comes on suddenly,
sometimes in one localized area. Nausea,
vomiting, dizziness, confusion, and neck
stiffness may also occur. Anyone experiencing
these symptoms should seek emergency
treatment immediately.