Chronic Subdural Hematoma

There are many medical issues out there that worry individuals, but head injuries certainly rank near or at the top. Whenever someone gets hit hard in that region of the body, for example, most rational beings immediately get concerned of lasting damage.

As we know, this worry is not without much merit, as we cannot see what is going on in our head without sophisticated imaging that can only be taken and read in a qualified and comprehensive medical facility.

In some cases, a head injury can result in a collection of blood that pools together below the inner layer of the dura. Simply put, this is blood that forms outside the brain itself and is the basis of causing a subdural hematoma.

The Primary Causes of a Subdural Hematoma

Such an injury, no matter what factors resulted in it occurring in the first place, results in pressure on the brain. This can be extremely dangerous or even fatal. This pressure, if allowed to build up inside the skull itself, can lead to unconsciousness and eventually death. While a hematoma is often caused by a head injury taking place from a fall, car accident, or fight, there are other factors contributing to them as well, including medical malpractice.

Some individuals that have a bleeding disorder and need to take blood thinner medication can develop a subdural hematoma as a result. In fact, a minor injury in these individuals can result in bleeding below the dura, so these individuals must be particularly careful.

Some people develop a chronic hematoma, and this causes the brain to shrink to the point that tiny veins become stretched and are often torn, resulting in even more bleeding.

Subdural Hematoma Symptoms

When any head injury occurs, no matter how major or minor it might appear to be at the time, it is important to seek out medical assistance. The amount and rate of the bleeding in the brain region will often dictate the severity of any hematoma that may or may not have occurred.

Some head injuries, for example, will result in sudden extreme bleeding that causes the person to lose consciousness almost immediately. This will be a good indication that a subdural hematoma has occurred. In other cases, the person might appear normal for quite some time after the injury endured by the head, but then start to become confused and possibly wind up unconscious several days following.

The reason behind this is that the pressure slowly builds up over time. It should be noted that in some hematoma’s that are slow growing, it could be more than two weeks before symptoms are manifested in the individual. If a hospital fails to spot the bleeding in time, they may assume that person is just fine, when in fact their brain region is slowly bleeding out to the point of potential death.

If you have had any head injury, it is best that you seek out professional medical care and insist on some head imaging.  This will typically involve either a CT or MRI scan, both of which are designed to take pictures inside of the human skull.

It is via such a medium that a subdural hematoma should be able to be seen. If there is bleeding and it is caught early enough, measures can be taken to reduce their severity and return the individual to a sense of normalcy once again. In some cases, even brain surgery might be required, but to fail to act is almost certainly a deadly proposition.