Children and Stroke

Latest research, published in Annals of Neurology*, has identified a number of key risk factors for stroke in childhood.

In a study of over 200 children who had suffered a stroke, nearly 80 per cent were found to have abnormalities in the brain's arteries. These abnormalities were due to an inflammation, a narrowing or a tear in the artery walls and researchers believe they were caused by a variety of infections or diseases.

Just under half those studied suffered with a pre-existing medical condition such as congenital heart disease or sickle cell disease. Other possible causes of childhood stroke were chicken pox, iron deficiency anaemia, head trauma or recent infection.

However, stroke in an individual child may be caused by several factors and further research is needed to find out why some children are more susceptible to stroke than others.

Dr Vijeya Ganesan, of the Institute of Child Health, University College London and author of the report said, "Now we have identified the leading causes of stroke, we need to carry out further studies to find possible preventions and treatment. Many cases of childhood stroke were previously 'unexplained', however, now we can look for a variety of causes."

"Most people believe that only older people suffer from strokes but this is not the case," said Eoin Redahan of The Stroke Association. "Around 5 strokes a week occur in children which is devastating for all the family concerned. The Association is carrying out the first ever survey to see how many children actually suffer from stroke each year in the UK. We believe it is between 250-450 a year."

Ends

For more information contact The Stroke Association on 020 7566 0317.

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