Subarachnoid Hemorrhage Prognosis

What Causes an Infant’s Brain Hemorrhage?

If your newborn baby experiences a subarachnoid hemorrhage due to an injury sustained at birth, it may have been caused if he or she was dropped after delivery, due to high blood pressure passed down by the mother, or a blunt force trauma to your pregnant belly or your baby’s head.

Subarachnoid Hemorrhage in Infants – What is the Prognosis?

When it comes to the prognosis of brain damage in babies, there is no fixed answer, since a brain injury covers a wide spectrum. However, since such injuries are complex, a proper prognosis could take months or years. There are a few determinants, though, that doctors assess and evaluate in order to get a general idea of the infant’s prognosis.

1. Severe Infant Brain Damage

After suffering a severe injury, a baby’s brain may start to change, leading to greater pressure on his or her skull. If the injury is not treated immediately, for example with cooling therapy, it may lead to further brain damage and even death. Medication and surgery are typically used to treat such damage, but the outcome will depend on how quickly the injury is treated and how well the baby reacts to the treatment. After treatment, the newborn may be in an unconscious state during recovery, but the amount of time that he or she is unconscious depends on the outcome of the treatment.

2. Mild Brain Damage

Most newborn baby brain traumas are mild, and in many cases, babies will fully recover physically with the correct treatment. However, since a baby’s brain is not yet fully developed, even a mild case of brain damage could lead to permanent emotional and cognitive disabilities. Such impairments are not always obvious immediately, and they can take a few years to develop. If a child develops physical, behaviors, or cognitive impairments, doctors usually prescribe medication and recommend occupational and physical therapy.

3. Infant Seizures

Seizures are caused by abnormalities in the brain. They may last for just a few days, but they have also been known to last for years. Infants who experience subarachnoid hemorrhaging may develop epilepsy if they experience more than one seizure.

4. Problems with Cognition

Cognitive issues are a common consequence of bleeding on the brain and can affect a baby who suffers a hemorrhage. Usually long-term, cognitive problems are marked by:

5. Spasticity Problems

When an infant’s brain is damaged, he or she is at risk for disorders like cerebral palsy. Spasticity can affect the way the baby crawls, holds objects, walks, and carries out other everyday activities that require the use of major muscle groups. While therapy and medication can help to reduce the effects of spasticity and stiffness, it is usually a permanent disorder.

6. Heterotopic Ossification

This occurs when trauma from the baby’s brain releases chemicals that react adversely to the major joints in the body, causing bone to form around the joints and limiting mobility.

Treating an Infant’s Hemorrhage

As mentioned earlier, swift treatment is important. Typically, a hemorrhage is treated with brain surgery to close off and stop the bleeding and stop other brain cells dying.

Increasingly, cooling therapy is being offered to infants. The groundbreaking treatment can benefit vulnerable infants by cooling the body temperature over several days to slow down and eventually stop the bleeding, having a positive lifelong impact on your baby.

If your newborn baby suffers from a hemorrhage, there is no set answer to the prognosis of his or her injuries. While one child may grow up with normal cognition, another may experience learning difficulties. The important thing to remember is the right treatment and care not only in the home, but also from your baby’s health care providers, such as psychologists, therapists, and a physician.