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WHAT IS CHILDHOOD STROKE?

A stroke can happen before birth, called a Prenatal Stroke or after birth, called a Perinatal Stroke.  There are several statistics regarding Childhood Stroke.  The latest statistics from Dr. John Kylan Lynch, from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), shows that Newborn Strokes occur at the rate of 1 in 5000.  Strokes in Children occur at the rate of 3 out of 100,000  Stroke is one of the top ten reasons for death in children.  10% of children who have a stroke will die each year.  20 to 35% of  infant stroke survivors will go on to have another stroke, and more than two-thirds of survivors will have neurological deficits or seizures.  Please don't let these statistics scare you or stop you from reading further.  Each child and each case is different!  Knowledge is power! 

Childhood Stroke survivors can have a host of disabilities caused by their stroke.  These can include Epilepsy (Seizures), Hemiplegia - a form of Cerebral Palsy, Hemiparesis, Hypotonia, Hemiplegic Cerebral Palsy, speech and language difficulties, vision deficits along with learning disabilities and they may require speech therapy, occupational therapy, medications, special education, orthotics and more.  Early diagnosis and intervention is the key to our children having as close to an average life as possible. The earlier therapy is started, the better chance their disabilities will be less severe. 

Childhood Stroke can be diagnosed by many different names.  Pediatric Stroke, In utero stroke, Stroke in utero, Infant Stroke, Intrauterine Stroke, Perinatal Stroke, Neonatal Stroke, Prenatal Stroke or even Infant Brain Attack.  No matter what the wording in your child's neurology chart, the results are the same.  Your child survived a stroke.  The future for our children holds so many questions.  Hopefully PSN can answer some of them for you. - Heather - President, Mother of Jacob, my 7 year old Intrauterine Stroke survivor who has Epilepsy, Hemiparesis, Hypotonia, Speech delays, Learning Disabilities, and Sensory Issues who is currently receiving Special Education, Speech Therapy, Occupational Therapy and Hippotherapy (Horseback Riding Therapy).  Please feel free to read Jacob's story.

Cerebrovascular Disorders in Children by Dr. John Kylan Lynch, National Institute of Neurological Disorders.  Posted with special permission.  Permission to reprint or forward is required.

Abstracts from the International Stroke Conference
Childhood Stroke info begins on page 23, including:
Pediatric NIHSS as a Predictor of Neurological Outcome in Childhood Stroke
Recurrence Risk of Hemorrhagic Stroke in Children
Early Cognitive Outcome After Neonatal Stroke
Emergency Room Presentation of Childhood Arterial Ischemic Stroke
Childhood Cerebral Sinovenous Thrombosis
 

New Research Confirms Childhood Stroke More Common in Boys
Medscape Article

Ischemic stroke and excellent recovery after administration of intravenous tissue plasminogen activator.
PubMed Article

Strokes can happen at any age, but why?
News 8 Austin

Vascular imaging key to predicting repeat childhood stroke
University of California, San Francisco

Doctors: Be Aware Of Childhood Strokes
WBAL Baltimore

Childhood strokes linked to whiplash, other traumatic injury
WebWire

Read the latest news on Childhood Stroke.

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You are NOT alone!  Together we CAN make a difference in the lives of our children!  Please feel free to read through the rest of the PSN site.  I hope you find the information useful.  If something is missing that you feel needs to be added to the site, please let me know!  PSN's mission is to bring support and information on Childhood Stroke to the public.  

Our online e-mail support group is a great place to reach out and get support from people who know what you are going through.  We have hundreds of friends, family members and medical professionals who know where you are coming from!  Please join us!

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