(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Imaging studies show the rate of strokes in
infants and children is two to four times higher than commonly thought,
according to researchers.
"Traditional methods using diagnostic codes work fairly well to identify
stroke in studies on adults, but they miss a large proportion of cases when
applied to infants and children," Heather J. Fullerton, M.D., senior author
of the study and associate professor of neurology at the University of
California, San Francisco was quoted as saying.
Authors say many pediatric strokes go unreported due to typing errors. Also,
some researchers are not accustomed to applying stroke codes to children.
Parents should not be alarmed, experts say. Pediatric stokes are rare. In an
analysis of 2.3 million children, 205 cases of ischemic stroke were
confirmed. The rate of 2.4 strokes per 100,000 persons annually is two to
four times higher than previous estimates, although still a low percentage.
Ischemic strokes happen when a blood clot interrupts blood flow to part of
the brain. Although uncommon in children, it brings a lifetime burden of
motor and cognitive disabilities.
SOURCE: Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association, 2009