Stroke in young adults

Strokes in young adults are uncommon and often a diagnostic challenge. A retrospective study of strokes due to intracerebral hemorrhage, subarachnoid hemorrhage, or cerebral infarction was undertaken. We reviewed the medical records of 113 young patients aged 15-45 years who were admitted to the Medical Center Hospital of Vermont with a diagnosis of stroke between 1982 and 1987. This group comprised 8.5% of patients of all ages admitted for stroke, 2.3 times the proportion observed in the National Survey of Stroke. Nontraumatic intracerebral hemorrhage was diagnosed in 46 young patients (41%); the main causes included aneurysms, arteriovenous malformations, hypertension, and tumors. Subarachnoid hemorrhage was found in 19 young patients (17%); the majority were due to aneurysms. The remaining 48 young patients (42%) had cerebral infarction, the majority due to cardiogenic emboli and premature atherosclerosis. Mitral valve prolapse, the use of oral contraceptives, alcohol drinking, and migraine were infrequent sole causes of cerebral infarction in the absence of other risk factors. The case-fatality rate for this group of young patients with stroke was 20.4% compared with 23.9% for the National Survey of Stroke. Young adults with stroke deserve an extensive but tailored evaluation, which should include angiography and echocardiography.     

Paradoxical brain embolism]

Although paradoxical brain embolism result in the right-to-left shunt (RLS) is very important etiology of ischemic stroke especially in young adults, the detailed characteristics of them in Japan remain unknown. In collected clinical data for 7,245 acute stroke patients, patent foramen ovale (PFO) were more frequent in the young patients group (n = 1,584) than in the non-young patients group (n = 5,661) (0.7% vs. 1.2%, p = 0. 07). The frequency of PFO was rare than that of previously reported. Suspected reason is that the limited patients were underwent transesophageal echocardiography (TEE). The golden standard to detect RLS is contrast-enhanced TEE, and standardization of procedure is the most important factor. In our hospital, positive rate of RLS was risen up to 21.9% from 8.8% by standardization. In the patients with RLS in our hospital, the definite and probable criteria of paradoxical brain embolism were fulfilled only in 7.7% and 38.5%, respectively. If patients have any other risk factors (e.g. venous thrombus, cardiac source of embolism), to prevent recurrent stroke associated with RLS they must be underwent anticoagulation and correctly controlled by PT-INR. And if patients have no other risk factors, PICCS study confirmed that there was no difference of recurrence rate between anticoagulation and aspirin therapy.     

Fatigue at long-term follow-up in young adults with cerebral infarction

BACKGROUND: To study the impact of fatigue in young ischaemic stroke patients. METHODS: The Fatigue Severity Scale score was obtained in 192 patients (mean time 6.0 years after the stroke) and 212 controls. RESULTS: Fatigue was associated with cerebral infarction in a multivariate analysis of patients and controls (p = 0.002). Fatigue was independently associated with unfavourable functional outcome (p = 0.001), depression (p < 0.001), and basilar artery infarction through interaction with the modified Rankin Scale score (p = 0.047) in patients. CONCLUSION: Fatigue is frequent in young adults with cerebral infarction. Stroke-related factors independently associated with fatigue include functional outcome. Stroke location may influence fatigue.     

Seasonal variation in stroke incidence in Hisayama, Japan

We investigated seasonal variation in the incidence of cerebral stroke among the general population aged greater than or equal to 40 years in November of 1961 in Hisayama, Japan. During the 24-year follow-up period, 311 cases of cerebrovascular diseases occurred. The date or month of onset was determined in 308 cases, of which 51 were classified as intracerebral hemorrhage, 223 as cerebral infarction, and 27 as subarachnoid hemorrhage. We observed a significant seasonality in the incidence of all stroke (p less than 0.01), of intracerebral hemorrhage (p less than 0.05), and of cerebral infarction (p less than 0.01), whereas subarachnoid hemorrhage had no significant seasonal pattern. Subjects less than 64 years of age showed a significant seasonal variation in the incidence of both intracerebral hemorrhage (p less than 0.05) and cerebral infarction (p less than 0.01). A significant seasonal pattern for the incidence of intracerebral hemorrhage was also noted among persons with hypertension (p less than 0.05) or a high serum cholesterol level (p less than 0.05), whereas such a pattern for cerebral infarction was documented among normotensive persons (p less than 0.05) and those with a low serum cholesterol level (p less than 0.01). In addition, the incidences of intracerebral hemorrhage and cerebral infarction were negatively correlated with mean ambient temperature (p less than 0.01 and p less than 0.05, respectively), and all stroke and intracerebral hemorrhage in men were significantly related to intradiurnal temperature change (p less than 0.05 and p less than 0.01, respectively). The significance of the seasonal occurrence of stroke is discussed in relation to relevant risk factors.     

Clinical characteristics and prognosis in stroke patients with diabetes mellitus: retrospective evaluation using the Japanese Standard Stroke Registry database (JSSRS)]

We studied clinical characteristics and prognosis in acute stoke patients with diabetes mellitus registered on the Japanese Standard Stroke Registry database. A total of 16,630 acute stroke patients admitted to 56 hospitals in Japan. They were examined as to their stroke types, risk factors, their severity of stroke according to the NIH Stroke Scale (NIHSS) and Japan Stroke Scale (JSS), and outcomes by the modified Rankin Scale (m-RS). The incidence of subarachnoid hemorrhage was relatively high in the group of patients who had neither hypertension nor diabetes, and the incidence of brain hemorrhage was higher in the group of patients who had hypertension without diabetes. The frequencies of lacunar infarct and atherothrombotic infarct were also higher in the group of patients who had both hypertension and diabetes. In the diabetic group without hypertension, there were less numbers of hemorrhagic stroke. The ratio of good prognosis (m-RS 0-1) was significantly smaller in the diabetic patients with lacunar infarction, cardioembolic infarction, and subarachnoid hemorrhage. Additionally, there was significantly more stroke recurrence in the diabetic patients (33.0% vs. 26.9%, p<0.0001). The diabetic patients who received insulin therapy (-0.8 +/- 7.4), diet therapy (-0.4 +/- 9.4), or oral medicine (-0.9 +/- 7.2), showed significantly less improvements in the NIHSS compared to the non-diabetic patients (-1.6 +/- 8.2), respectively. Moreover, the poor-management diabetic patients showed significantly less improvements in the JSS compared to non diabetic patients (3.8 +/- 7.7 vs. 4.8 +/- 8.6, p<0.005). In conclusions, stroke patients with diabetes mellitus showed more stroke recurrence and resulted in poorer functional recovery compared to patients without diabetes.     

Transesophageal echocardiography discloses unexpected cardiac sources of embolus in stroke patients aged more than 45 years

Cerebral embolism from cardiac source is an important cause of stroke, specially in patients younger than 45 years old. OBJECTIVE: To describe the transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) findings in young and non-young stroke patients without any prior evidence of cardiac source for cerebral embolism. METHOD: Transversal study: 523 patients (267 men and 256 women) with ischemic stroke, without any evidence of cardiac abnormality, underwent to TEE. RESULTS: Ten percent were aged 45 years; or less. Left ventricle hypertrophy, left atrial enlargement, spontaneous contrast in aorta, interatrial septum aneurysm, mitral and aortic valve calcification, aortic valve regurgitation, and atherosclerotic plaques in aorta were significantly more frequent in patients aged more than 45 years; 2.8% of non-young patients had thrombus in left heart. CONCLUSION: TEE is widely used to diagnose cardiac source of cerebral embolism in young patients, but it seems to be as useful for older ones, in whom cerebral embolism risk is underestimated; atherogenic and cardioembolic causes may actually coexist, and both should be treated.     

in-hospital mortality in patient with acute ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke

There is a lack of evidence to compare in-hospital mortality with different types of stroke. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the in-hospital mortality after acute ischemic/hemorrhagic stroke and compare the factors associated with the mortality among stroke subtypes. All patients admitted to Kurashiki Central Hospital in Japan between January 2009 and December 2009, and diagnosed with acute ischemic/hemorrhagic stroke were included in this study. Demographics and clinical data pertaining to the patients were obtained from their medical records. Out of 738 patients who had an acute stroke, 53 (7.2%) died in the hospital. The in-hospital mortality was significantly lower in the cerebral infarction group than in the intracerebral hemorrhage and subarachnoid hemorrhage group (3.5%, 15.1%, and 17.9%, respectively; P<0.0001). Age was significantly lower in the subarachnoid hemorrhage group than in the other 2 groups. With regard to past history, diabetes mellitus was significantly found to be a complication in mortality cases of intracranial hemorrhage. Further investigation is needed to clarify the effect of diabetes on mortality after intracranial hemorrhage.     

Stroke in Saudi Arabian young adults: a study of 120 cases

One hundred and twenty cases of stroke occurring in Saudi Arabian subjects aged 15 to 45 years are reviewed. These constituted 12.7% of a group of 946 stroke patients. Males outnumbered females (76/44). The frequency of intracranial hemorrhage, including subarachnoid hemorrhage, was slightly lower than cerebral infarction (41.5 vs 58.5%). The causes of large cerebral infarction were as follows: atherosclerosis 17 (28%), cardiac embolism 12 (19.5%), uncommon and uncertain causes 21 (34.5%). Some unusual causes were encountered such as dissecting arterial aneurysm due to popular healing manoeuvres or to traditional dance, retrograde embolism from a thoracic outlet syndrome or embolism from a fibroelastoma of the mitral valve chorda. Lacunar cerebral infarction was diagnosed in nine cases. Hypertension (25.5%) and arteriovenous malformations (20.5%) were the main causes of cerebral hemorrhage; all subarachnoid hemorrhages except one were due to berry aneurysms. The cause was undetermined in 16% of cerebral infarction and 26% of intracranial hemorrhage. The high frequency of stroke in young Saudi Arabian adults is probably a reflection of the demographic structure of the predominantly young Saudi society. The observed causes were relatively similar to those in industrial societies. Contrary to other developing countries infectious disease no longer seems to be an important cause of stroke. Drug abuse, which is becoming an important cause in Western societies, was encountered in only two of our cases.     

Data bank project for acute stroke patients]

Stroke is the second cause of death within major adult disease and the first cause of functional disability for elderly in Japan. The diffusion rate of MRI is the highest in the world. Even though, there is only few evidence for stroke management has been reported from Japan. It is necessary to make a data bank of acute stroke patients as infrastructure making evidence for standardization of stroke management. We made Japan standard stroke registry study supported by ministry of health and welfare for 3 years. We completed computerized registry system and accumulated about 8,000 acute stroke cases from 45 stroke center hospitals. This system is also functioning as a stroke database for each hospital. From the analysis of the distribution of stroke subtype, the incidence of atherothrombotic infarction and cardiogenic embolism was similar to lacunar infarction as shown in Fig. 1. Furthermore, the 38% of ischemic stroke patients admitted within 3 hours. Thrombolytic therapy was performed in 15% of the patients who admitted within 3 hours and their initial severity were NIHSS 6-29. The outcome of the patients treated with thrombolytic therapy was significantly better than those without it. These data indicate that the stroke data bank should be useful tool to make verification of the guideline and planning of clinical trial for EBM.     

Marked increase of stroke incidence in men between 1972 and 1990 in Frederiksberg, Denmark.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Stroke incidence declined until the end of the 1970s in the United States, and the decline continued into the 1980s in Japan. The purpose of this study was to determine possible temporal changes of stroke incidence in a European community. METHODS: A prospective stroke registry was established in the community of Frederiksberg (population, approximately 90,000), Denmark, in the two periods 1972-1974 and 1989-1990. All patients suspected of stroke were clinically evaluated by a neurologist. Only patients with first-ever stroke were included. Complete case ascertainment was ensured by registration of both hospitalized and nonhospitalized patients. Death certificates were also scrutinized. RESULTS: A total of 927 patients with first-ever stroke was recorded. The annual stroke incidence rate per 1,000 increased by 18% from 2.6 in 1972-1974 to 3.1 in 1989-1990 (p < 0.01). This increase was due solely to a 42% increase in men, in whom stroke incidence rose from 2.1 to 3.0 (p < 0.0005). Incidence was unchanged in women at 3.0 and 3.1, respectively. The incidence rates from 1972-1974 were age and sex adjusted to the 1990 population. After adjustment to the Danish population, stroke incidence in Denmark was 2.0 for all, 2.3 for men, and 1.9 for women. In the second study period computed tomography or necropsy was performed in 85% of cases; 2.4/1,000 had cerebral infarction; 0.20/1,000 had intracerebral hemorrhage; and 0.02/1,000 had subarachnoid hemorrhage. CONCLUSIONS: In a period when decline in stroke incidence has stopped in the United States and has continued in Japan, a marked increase of stroke incidence in Danish men was observed.     

Ipsilateral hippocampal atrophy is associated with long‐term memory dysfunction after ischemic stroke in young adults

Memory impairment after stroke in young adults is poorly understood. In elderly stroke survivors memory impairments and the concomitant loss of hippocampal volume are usually explained by coexisting neurodegenerative disease (e.g., amyloid pathology) in interaction with stroke. However, neurodegenerative disease, such as amyloid pathology, is generally absent at young age. Accumulating evidence suggests that infarction itself may cause secondary neurodegeneration in remote areas. Therefore, we investigated the relation between long‐term memory performance and hippocampal volume in young patients with first‐ever ischemic stroke. We studied all consecutive first‐ever ischemic stroke patients, aged 18–50 years, admitted to our academic hospital center between 1980 and 2010. Episodic memory of 173 patients was assessed using the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test and the Rey Complex Figure and compared with 87 stroke‐free controls. Hippocampal volume was determined using FSL‐FIRST, with manual correction. On average 10 years after stroke, patients had smaller ipsilateral hippocampal volumes compared with controls after left‐hemispheric stroke (5.4%) and right‐hemispheric stroke (7.7%), with most apparent memory dysfunctioning after left‐hemispheric stroke. A larger hemispheric stroke was associated with a smaller ipsilateral hippocampal volume (b=?0.003, P<0.0001). Longer follow‐up duration was associated with smaller ipsilateral hippocampal volume after left‐hemispheric stroke (b=?0.028 ml, P=0.002) and right‐hemispheric stroke (b=?0.015 ml, P=0.03). Our results suggest that infarction is associated with remote injury to the hippocampus, which may lower or expedite the threshold for cognitive impairment or even dementia later in life. Hum Brain Mapp 36:2432–2442, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

青年烟雾病患者的卒中类型及危险因素分析

目的 探索青年烟雾病患者的卒中类型及临床特征,分析青年烟雾病患者发生卒中的危险因素。 方法 回顾性纳入2020年1月-2021年12月解放军总医院第五医学中心收治的青年（18～45岁）卒中型烟雾病患者,将患者分为出血性卒中组和缺血性卒中组进行亚型分析,对比不同卒中类型患者的临床及影像学特征。并以同期未发生卒中的烟雾病患者作为对照组,应用多因素logistic回归分析青年烟雾病患者发生出血性或缺血性卒中的危险因素。 结果 共入组108例卒中型烟雾病患者,其中出血性卒中22例（20.4%）,缺血性卒中86例（79.6%）。出血性卒中组中脑室出血12例（54.5%）,脑实质出血7例（31.8%）,蛛网膜下腔出血3例（13.6%）。缺血性卒中组中大动脉梗死型21例（24.4%）,血流动力学梗死36例（41.9%）,穿支动脉梗死29例（33.7%）。出血性卒中组与缺血性卒中组性别和合并动脉瘤者比例的差异有统计学意义。无卒中对照组共104例,多因素logistic回归分析结果显示,合并动脉瘤（OR?10.569,95%CI?1.524～73.274,P=0.017）为青年烟雾病患者发生出血性卒中的独立危险因素;增龄（OR?1.058,95%CI?1.004～1.115,P=0.034）、合并糖尿病（OR?4.005,95%CI?1.766～9.080,P=0.001）、高铃木分期（OR?1.363,95%CI 1.037～1.793,P=0.027）为青年烟雾病患者发生缺血性卒中的独立危险因素。 结论 青年烟雾病患者的卒中类型以缺血性卒中为主。血流动力学梗死和脑室出血分别是缺血性卒中和出血性卒中的主要类型。增龄、高铃木分期、合并糖尿病和颅内动脉瘤是引起青年烟雾病患者卒中的独立危险因素。     

Trends in the incidence of stroke in Yamagata, Japan]

The purpose of this study was to clarify the incidence and features of acute cerebrovascular diseases in Yamagata Prefecture, by comparing with those in other prefectures reported in previous studies. Consecutive 13,639 cases of acute stroke were prospectively registered to Yamagata Society in Treatment for Cerebral Stroke (YSTCS) between January 1, 1998 and December 31, 2002. Cerebral infarction (CI), intracerebral hemorrhage (CH), subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) and transient ischemic attack (TIA) were observed in 58.4%, 25.8%, 11.4% and 4.4% of the patients, respectively. The frequencies of CH and SAH (37.2%) in Yamagata Prefecture were higher than those reported in other studies (p < 0.01). In addition, time from onset to admission in Yamagata Prefecture was longer than that reported in others(p< 0.01). This study was one of the largest stroke registration studies in Japan enrolling 13,639 patients. In addition, computed tomography (CT) and/or magnetic resonance image (MRI) was performed on admission in all patients. Diagnosis was made by a neurologist or a neurosurgeon based on CT and/or MRI findings. Our results might accurately reflect current status of stroke patients in Yamagata Prefecture.     

RISK FACTORS AND OUTCOMES OF HIV-ASSOCIATED STROKE IN ZAMBIA

ObjectiveTo compare risk factors and clinical outcomes between people living with HIV (PLWH) and HIV-uninfected (HIV-) adults with stroke hospitalized in Zambia.MethodsWeretrospectively reviewed charts of all adults admitted to the University Teaching Hospital in Lusaka, Zambia with a clinical diagnosis of stroke between October 2018 and March 2019. Standardized data collection instruments were used to collect demographic, clinical, laboratory and imaging results. Comparison between individuals with and without HIV infection was made using t-tests for continuous parametric variables, Wilcoxon rank-sum tests for continuous non-parametric variables, and chi-square analyses for categorical variables.Results272adults with stroke were admitted of whom 58 (21%) were PLWH. Compared to HIV- participants, PLWH were younger (48 ± 14) years versus 62 ± 18) years, p<0.001). PLWH were less likely to have hypertension (65% vs 83%, p=0.003) and more likely to have no traditional cerebrovascular risk factors (34% vs 15%, p=0.01). Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) (4% vs 1%, p=0.04) was more common during hospitalization amongst PLWH, but there was no difference in in-hospital mortality (21% vs 23%, p=0.65). Among PLWH with stroke, factors associated with in-hospital mortality were Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) on admission (7 vs 10, p=0.046), hypertension (92% vs 59%, p=0.04) and fever (58% vs 13%, p=0.003).ConclusionThis Zambian cohort of PLWH and stroke is notable for being significantly younger with fewer traditional stroke risk factors but higher rates of DVT than their HIV-uninfected counterparts. GCS on admission, hypertension and fever were associated with in-hospital mortality.     

Incidence and etiology of ischemic stroke in Persian young adults

BACKGROUND: Stroke in young adults causes morbidity in this socioeconomically active age group. The etiologic frequency of ischemic stroke in young adults differs around the world. METHODS: The study population consisted of 314,000 'young adult' residents in Southern Khorasan province in Iran. All patients with stroke are routinely admitted to the Valie Asr tertiary care hospital. Data on patients demographics, clinical presentation and investigations of consecutive patients aged 15-45 years with ischemic stroke are registered in Southern Khorasan stroke data bank for the period March 2000 to March 2005. All patients underwent a standard battery of diagnostic investigations by a stroke neurologist. The etiologic classification of stroke in the patients was made based on the trial of ORG 10172 in acute stroke treatment (TOAST) criteria. RESULTS: One hundred and twenty-four patients (60 female, 64 male) were prospectively investigated during a 5-year period. The incidence of ischemic stroke in young adults was eight cases per 100,000 people per year. Cardioembolic mechanism comprised 54% of stroke etiology in young adults. Rheumatic valvular disease was present in 32% of the patients and caused 2.5 preventable stroke cases per 100,000 'young adults' per year. CONCLUSION: Rheumatic valvular disease is the most common cause and a preventable etiology of stroke in Persian young adults.     

Lp(a) lipoprotein and plasminogen activity in patients with different etiology of ischemic stroke

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Lp(a) lipoprotein plays an important part in atherothrombogenesis and is considered an independent risk factor for coronary heart disease. However, its role in cerebrovascular disease remains unclear, in particular because of the heterogeneous nature of strokes. We investigated whether elevated Lp(a) is more frequent in ischemic stroke related to atherothrombosis than in other etiologies of stroke. Because of the close structural homology between Lp(a) and plasminogen, we also studied the role of plasminogen in different stroke subtypes and whether there is a dependency on Lp(a) plasma levels. METHODS: Lp(a) levels and plasminogen activity were measured in 253 consecutive patients with acute ischemic stroke and in 63 controls (CS). Subtypes of stroke were established according to the TOAST criteria. RESULTS: Median Lp(a) levels were found to be higher in the total cerebral infarction group and in patients with large artery atherosclerosis (LAA) when compared with CS (20.9 and 22.0 mg/dl, respectively, vs. 16.0 mg/dl; p < 0.05). In addition, elevated Lp(a) levels >30 mg/dl were more frequent among the LAA subgroup than among CS (39.4 vs. 11.1%; p < 0.001). Mean plasminogen activity was lower in the total cerebral infarction group (110.8 vs. 120.3%; p < 0.001) and in patients with cardioembolic stroke (109.8 vs. 120.3%; p < 0.05) when compared with CS. There was no correlation between Lp(a) levels and plasminogen activity. CONCLUSIONS: Our results support the hypothesis that elevated Lp(a) is a risk factor for ischemic stroke and especially for strokes caused by LAA. Low plasminogen activity may play a role in the pathogenesis of cerebrovascular disease, especially for the development of cardioembolic stroke.     

Prognosis and disability of stroke patients after 5 years in Akita, Japan

The system of registering stroke patients was begun in 1963 in Ikawa Town, Akita Prefecture, Japan. The town is located in the northeastern part of the country and in 1975 had a population of 6,427. From 1975 to 1981, 109 patients who suffered their first stroke were registered and were monitored for 5 years. The average annual incidence rates of stroke were 2.8 and 2.0 per 1,000 population in males and females, respectively. Mean age at stroke onset was 63.3 and 71.4 years in males and females, respectively (p less than 0.01). According to the clinical classification of stroke, 76 patients suffered cerebral infarction, 21 cerebral bleeding, and six subarachnoid hemorrhage; six strokes were unclassified. The survival rates were compared by sex, age, and clinical stroke type using Cox's proportional hazards model. The survival rate of female stroke patients was lower than that of males, but not significantly so. The survival rate of stroke patients greater than or equal to 65 years old was significantly lower (p less than 0.01) than that of younger patients. Moreover, the survival rate of patients with cerebral bleeding was significantly lower (p less than 0.01) than that of patients with cerebral infarction. In the analysis of self-care among the survivors, performance of the activities of daily living in older patients indicated significantly less independence (p less than 0.01) in younger patients. Follow-up of new stroke cases showed that age and clinical stroke type were significantly associated with survival and that age was also related to disability of the survivors.     

Incidence of stroke in young adults in Florence, Italy

A population-based study specifically addressing stroke in young adults (aged 15-44 years) was conducted in Florence, Italy, from 1983 to 1985. We identified 47 cases of first stroke by means of a daily check of the medical facilities of the city and nearby towns and a review of death certificates. Patients were assessed by a neurologist shortly after the onset of the stroke, and computed tomography or autopsy was performed in 96%. The average annual incidence rate for all stroke (cases per 100,000 population per year) was 9.0 (95% confidence interval 5.8-13.4) for males and 8.7 (95% confidence interval 5.5-13.0) for females. The average annual incidence rates for the pathologic types of stroke were 3.4 for cerebral infarction, 3.2 for subarachnoid hemorrhage, and 1.9 for intracerebral hemorrhage. The case-fatality ratio was 23.4% at 1 month. Among patients with ischemic strokes, atherosclerosis and cardiac disease accounted for 50% of the cases. Based on angiography or autopsy findings, aneurysm or arteriovenous malformation were demonstrated in 88% of the patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage. In 50% of the patients with intracerebral hemorrhage, no cause of bleeding was detected. Our study may supply information about stroke pathologic types in an unselected series of young adults.     

Cerebrovascular disorders in young adults in Saudi Arabia. A study of 136 cases]

We report our experience of stroke in 136 young adults aged from 18 to 45 years seen in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia over a 10-year period. They constituted 25% of all our stroke cases. Thirty-eight percent were Saudi nationals and 62% expatriates. Males largely outnumbered females. The frequency of cerebral infarction (54%) was not very different from that of intracranial hemorrhage (45%). Atherosclerosis and embolism of cardiac origin were the major causes of infarction. The main causes of intracranial bleeding were arterial aneurysms, arteriovenous malformations and hypertension. However, the causes of 29% of ischemic strokes and 44% of hemorrhagic ones remained undetermined. Interethnic comparison of the causes showed that hemorrhages were significantly more frequent in Far East immigrants. Sixty five percent of cerebral infarctions in Asiatic patients remained of undetermined origin. The local variant of sickle cell gene did not seem to play a major role in the pathogenesis of stroke in the Saudi young adult. These data are commented and compared with similar reported data. The influence of the demographic structures of the Saudi population and immigrants communities is analyzed.     

Analysis of ischemic stroke in patients aged up to 50 years]

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Ischemic stroke in young adults has not fully been studied in Japan. The purpose of this study is to clarify the clinical features and pathogenetic mechanisms of ischemic stroke in young adults. METHODS: From January 1990 to June 2000, 133 (7.1%) of 1,862 consecutive patients with ischemic stroke were aged 16 to 50 years (92 men and 41 women, aged of 42.6 +/- 7.7 years). We divided the patients into three groups according to the age of stroke onset; 16 to 40 (group A, n = 38), 41 to 45 (group B, n = 33), and 46 to 50 years (group C, n = 62). Sex, vascular risk factors including hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia and smoking, cerebrovascular lesions, potential cardiac sources of emboli (emboligenic cardiac diseases), and clinical categories of stroke were examined. We compared them among the three groups. RESULTS: Men predominated in the all groups. Patients in the group C had more frequently hypertension (p < .0005) and diabetes mellitus (p < .05) than those in the group A and B. The vertebrobasilar infarcts were often revealed in the group A but not in the group B and C (p < .01). No significant difference was observed about the incidence of emboligenic cardiac diseases among the three groups. Out of 46 emboligenic cardiac diseases, the most frequent one was patent foramen ovale (15 patients), whereas nonvalvular atrial fibrillation was documented only in five. Fourteen of 20 patients with significant atherosclerotic arterial lesions were found in the group C, whereas 13 of 16 patients with nonatherosclerotic vasculopathies in the group A. Ulcerated atheroma in the aortic arch was detected in two patients, both in the group C. Overall, clinical categories of stroke were identified as lacunar (Lac) in 34 patients (26%), atherothrombotic (AT) in 16 (12%), cardioembolic (CE) in 44 (33%), miscellaneous (Misc) in 27 (20%), and undetermined in 12 (9%). The most frequent cause of Misc (nine patients) was arterial dissection, occurring mostly in the vertebrobasilar system (eight of nine patients). Misc was most frequent in the group A (p < .0001), and Lac was so in the group C (p < .001). Seventy-six percent of patients in the group A and 61% of those in the group B were attributed to nonatherosclerotic causes. In contrast, 61% of patients in the group C had atherosclerotic causes. CONCLUSIONS: Incidence of athero- and arteriosclerosis as causes of ischemic stroke was apparently increased beyond 45 years of age. Patients < or = 45 years are likely to have various and unique etiologies for ischemic stroke. A specific diagnostic approach is strongly recommended for young patients with ischemic stroke.