Hemorrhagic stroke
This other type of stroke accounts for 15-18% of stroke incidences. Also known as a brain hemorrhage or a brain bleed, a hemorrhagic stroke is caused when a blood vessel bursts under pressure in the brain. This causes blood leakage which presses upon the brain cells. The cells under the mechanical strain begin to malfunction and ultimately die. Bleeding can occur in the brain substance, which is called intracerebral bleeding, or it may occur in the space lining the brain, the subarachnoid hemorrhage. Hemorrhagic stroke has a strong hereditary pattern of occurrence.