A basal ganglia hemorrhage, often caused by high blood pressure, can lead to loss of consciousness, sensory and movement issues, and personality changes. Treatment involves supporting the patient and managing blood pressure with medication. Surgery may be an option in some cases.
A basal ganglia hemorrhage bleeds from blood vessels in an area of the brain responsible for body movements, sensations, speech, and personality. Most often, an artery in the basal ganglia bursts after being damaged due to the effects of high blood pressure and is often referred to as a stroke. The basal ganglia are the part of the brain most frequently affected by hemorrhages, which cause blood to pool within the brain, compressing and damaging tissues.
While the most common cause of bleeding in the basal ganglia is high blood pressure, other possibilities include the rupture of an aneurysm, or weak spot, in a blood vessel wall and the bursting of an abnormal mass of arteries and veins joined together, note such as an arteriovenous malformation. Injuries, tumors, infections, and blood abnormalities can also cause bleeding in the brain. Older people are at a higher risk of developing this problem, and the risk doubles every ten years from the age of 55.
Initial symptoms of a basal ganglia hemorrhage might include loss of consciousness, headache, nausea and vomiting, or seizures. The sufferer may experience a loss of sensation and movement in parts of the body, eye movements may be affected and part of the visual field may disappear. A person may have difficulty speaking or can speak freely using the wrong words. At times, the individual may find it difficult to understand what is being said by others.
A hemorrhage in the basal ganglia can lead to personality changes, depression, loss of interest in life and lack of motivation. Difficulty understanding situations can lead to anxiety or frustration. People can become emotional for no apparent reason or in response to things that might not have affected them before.
Treatment of a basal ganglia hemorrhage involves supporting the patient while the event occurs. Unconscious patients may require artificial ventilation to help them breathe. Some types of hemorrhage can be managed using surgery to remove accumulated blood from the brain, but when high blood pressure has caused a basal ganglia hemorrhage, surgical treatment is not usually done.
The drugs can be given intravenously to help lower blood pressure, reduce fluid pressure in the brain, and prevent seizures. The drugs can also be used to reduce headaches and fevers and restore normal blood clotting. The outlook following a bleed into this area depends on the size and location of the bleed, but controlling high blood pressure can help prevent some strokes from occurring.
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