Are all hemorrhagic strokes the same?

No. There are two kinds of hemorrhagic (bleeding) stroke. In both, a blood vessel ruptures, disrupting blood flow to part of the brain.

1.      Intracerebral hemorrhage (most common cause of hemorrhagic stroke):

• Occurs when a blood vessel bleeds into the tissue deep within the brain.

• Chronically high blood pressure or aging blood vessels are the main causes of this type of stroke.

2.      Subarachnoid (sub-ah-RAK-noid) hemorrhage:

• Occurs when a blood vessel on the surface of the brain ruptures and bleeds into the space between the brain and the skull.

• A ruptured aneurysm is often caused by high blood pressure. An aneurysm is a blood-filled pouch that balloons out from an artery wall.

High blood pressure is the number one cause of an intracerebral hemorrhage.

In addition to high blood pressure, factors that increase the risk of hemorrhagic strokes include: 1) cigarette smoking; 2) use of oral contraceptives (particularly those with high estrogen content); 3) excessive alcohol intake; and 4) use of illegal drugs.