Symptoms of intracranial hemorrhage in infants

We have seen that some children have been diagnosed with intracranial hemorrhage by doctors just after they were born. Intracranial hemorrhage is a kind of disease, and it is also a very serious disease if it happens to children. After intracranial hemorrhage, the child will continue to be in a coma. Many premature babies will have such symptoms, and there are many symptoms of intracranial hemorrhage in children. As parents, we should observe whether the child has such symptoms after the child is born. So what are the symptoms of intracranial hemorrhage in infants?

1. Cerebral hemorrhage

Cerebral hemorrhage refers to bleeding caused by rupture of blood vessels in the brain parenchyma. It is common in the cerebral hemispheres. Infratentorial hemorrhage (cerebellum or brainstem) is less common. Trauma, excessive excitement and other predisposing factors may occur before the onset of the disease. The onset is relatively acute, and common symptoms include sudden headache, vomiting, hemiplegia, aphasia, convulsions, blurred vision or hemianopsia, sensory impairment, respiratory changes, and impaired consciousness. Severely ill children generally have obvious changes in vital signs, and are prone to gastrointestinal bleeding, abnormal cardiopulmonary function, and water and electrolyte imbalances. Especially severe cases may be accompanied by brain herniation and death. Patients with hematoma rupturing into the subarachnoid space often have obvious signs of meningeal irritation. Ventricular hemorrhage often presents with deep coma, flaccid paralysis of the limbs, early high fever, bilateral pupil constriction, and decerebrate rigidity-like seizures.

2. Primary subarachnoid hemorrhage

Primary subarachnoid hemorrhage refers to the rupture of blood vessels at the skull base or brain surface due to non-traumatic reasons, with a large amount of blood flowing directly into the subarachnoid space. The onset is often acute, with the main manifestations being meningeal irritation signs and intracranial hypertension signs caused by blood stimulation or increased blood volume, such as neck stiffness, severe headache, projectile vomiting, etc. More than half of the cases experienced impaired consciousness, pale complexion and convulsions. Fever and subarachnoid hemorrhage due to rupture of blood vessels on the cerebral convexity are common within the first 2 to 3 days of the disease. If the lesion is close to the frontal lobe or temporal lobe, obvious mental symptoms may often appear, such as nonsense, talking to oneself, imitating language, and touching the air.

3. Neonatal intracranial hemorrhage (NICH)

It mainly includes four types: periventricular-intraventricular hemorrhage, cerebellar hemorrhage, primary subarachnoid hemorrhage and subdural hemorrhage. Periventricular and intraventricular hemorrhage mainly occurs in immature infants of younger gestational age. It is caused by the rupture of capillaries in the germinal layer under the ependyma and usually occurs within 24 to 48 hours after birth. Most cases have an acute onset and progressive deterioration, with deep coma, decerebrate rigidity and convulsions occurring soon after birth, and most die within a few hours. In a few cases, the initial symptoms are atypical and may include impaired consciousness, localized "mini" convulsions, eye movement disorders, limb dysfunction, etc. The symptoms fluctuate, sometimes mild and sometimes severe. Most people survive, but are prone to hydrocephalus. Cerebellar hemorrhage may cause quadriplegia, shallow breathing, repeated suffocation attacks, etc. due to compression of the brain stem, and death may occur within 36 hours after the onset of the disease. The clinical manifestations of neonatal subarachnoid hemorrhage are related to the amount of bleeding. Mild bleeding may cause no symptoms or signs, only bloody cerebrospinal fluid, which is common in premature infants. When the bleeding is heavy, drowsiness and convulsions often occur 2 to 3 days after birth, which may lead to post-hemorrhagic hydrocephalus, which is more common in full-term infants. Massive bleeding is rare, but the condition is serious and death occurs shortly after birth. The clinical manifestations of neonatal subdural hemorrhage are similar to those discussed above.

You must pay attention. Intracranial hemorrhage is a disease that is very harmful to the baby's body. If it is not treated in time, it will have serious consequences for the baby's life. If the child survives seven days safely, the disease will be slowly brought under control. If the child's symptoms become worse within seven days, then you must pay attention. At this time, you must insist on treating the child and don't give up.