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Headache

Definition

Subarachnoid hemorrhage is bleeding in the area between the brain and the thin tissues that cover the brain. This area is called the subarachnoid space.

Alternative Names

Hemorrhage - subarachnoid

Causes, incidence, and risk factors

Subarachnoid hemorrhage can be caused by:

• Bleeding from an arteriovenous malformation (AVM)
• Bleeding disorder
• Bleeding from a cerebral aneurysm
• Head injury
• Unknown cause (idiopathic)
• Use of blood thinners

Injury-related subarachnoid hemorrhage is often seen in the elderly who have fallen and hit their head. Among the young, the most common injury leading to subarachnoid hemorrhage is motor vehicle crashes.

Subarachnoid hemorrhage due to rupture of a cerebral aneurysm occurs in approximately 10-15 out of 10,000 people. Subarachnoid hemorrhage due to rupture of a cerebral aneurysm is most common in persons age 20 to 60. It is slightly more common in women than men.

Risks include:

• Aneurysms in other blood vessels
• Fibromuscular dysplasia (FMD) and other connective tissue disorders associated with aneurysm or weakened blood vessels
• High blood pressure
• History of polycystic kidney disease
• Smoking

A strong family history of aneurysms may also increase your risk.

Symptoms

The main symptom is a severe headache that starts suddenly and is often worse near the back of the head. Patients often describe it as the "worst headache ever" and unlike any other type of headache pain. The headache may start after a popping or snapping feeling in the head.

Other symptoms:

• Sudden or decreased consciousness and alertness
• Difficulty or loss of movement or feeling
• Mood and personality changes, including confusion and irritability
• Muscle aches (especially neck pain and shoulder pain)
• Nausea and vomiting
• Photophobia (light bothers or hurts the eyes)
• Seizure
• Stiff neck
• Vision problems, including double vision, blind spots, or temporary vision loss in one eye

Additional symptoms that may be associated with this disease:

• Eyelid drooping
• Eyes, pupils different size
• Sudden stiffening of back and neck, with arching of the back (Opisthotonos; not very common)
• Seizures

Reviewer Info: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; and Daniel B. Hoch, PhD, MD, Assistant Professor of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc. , 03/26/2009