Why Strokes Occur in Children and Young People

Many people tend to associate strokes with the older generation, but any person of any age can suffer a stroke and that includes children and teenagers.

In the US, around 6 in every 100,000 children suffer a stroke and in fact a stroke is one of the leading causes of child mortality in the US.
In the UK the figures are much the same, with suffering a stroke every year.

Causes of Strokes in Children Around half of all children affected by a stroke have an underlying medical condition, such as a heart problem, which increases their risk but this means that the other half suffer a stroke completely out of the blue.
Unlike adults, children are not usually at increased risk of a stroke because of lifestyle issues such as smoking and drinking, but past infections such as chickenpox can sometimes lead to a narrowing of the blood vessels in the head which are only picked up once the stroke has occurred.
Symptoms of a Stroke in Children Very young children obviously cannot tell you if there is anything wrong, but typically stroke symptoms in children are roughly the same as those in adults.

Watch out for: Weakness down one side of the body Drooping face Difficulty in balancing or affected co-ordination Sudden loss of speech or slurred speech Headaches As it is still uncommon for children to suffer from strokes, many symptoms misdiagnosed so it's important to note that if your child suffers from any of the above symptoms, they seen by a doctor straight away.

Treating Childhood Strokes Children who have suffered a stroke.
given medicine that will help to thin the blood, prevent another stroke from occurring.

Obviously if an underlying cause for the stroke is found then doctors will also give you details on how they intend to treat that. Aspirin, heparin and warfarin are the main blood thinning agents used for stroke patients and your child will have regular blood tests for the effects. Recovering from a Childhood Stroke Strokes can affect children in different ways depending on the area of the brain affected most effects are mild and include: Limited function and/or movement Speech difficulties Behaviour and/or learning difficulties Most effects are temporary and as children's brains are still growing, there is every chance that your child will make a full recovery. Older children may take more time to recover and may need extra help and support. Rehabilitation After a Stroke in a Child Physiotherapy, speech therapy and occupational therapy can all help children to re-learn skills.

Equipment such as foot or hand splints can also be useful and if children find stairs a challenge a lift's fitted.