Stroke in young adults: analysis of 164 patients

We retrospectively analyzed the epidemiological features of 164 out-clinic patients with a first-onset stroke between 15 and 49 years old. Ischemic stroke occurred in 141 patients, hemorrhagic stroke in 16 patients, and venous thrombosis in 7 patients. Forty-eight percent of ischemic strokes were atherothrombotic, but no etiology was found in 32% of patients with ischemic stroke. Systemic arterial hypertension was the most frequent etiology in the hemorrhagic stroke group. The most frequent risk factors were systemic arterial hypertension, smoking, hypercholesterolemia, alcoholism and diabetes mellitus. Although stroke in young adults deserves some specific etiological investigation, we found that ordinary risk factors such as hypertension, tobacco use, hypercholesteremia and diabetes were prevalent in our population. It seems that prevention campaigns should be the target of our work.