What Are Strokes?
A stroke (sometimes called a "brain attack") happens when blood flow to the brain stops, even
for a second.
Blood carries oxygen and
other important substances to the body's cells and organs, including the brain. In
an ischemic (ih-SKEE-mik) stroke, these substances
can't get to the brain and brain cells die. This can permanently damage the brain
and make a person's body stop working as it should.
In a hemorrhagic (heh-meh-RA-jik) stroke, a blood
vessel in the brain breaks, flooding the brain with blood and damaging brain cells.
Who Gets Strokes?
Many of us think that strokes only happen in adults, especially older adults. But
kids can have strokes too. Although they're less common in kids, strokes can happen
in children of all ages, even those who haven't been born yet.
Strokes in children most often happen within the first month after birth. These
are sometimes called perinatal (or neonatal) strokes.
Most perinatal (pair-ih-NAY-tul) strokes happen during delivery or right after delivery
when the baby doesn't get enough oxygen while traveling through the birth canal.
Strokes also can affect older kids. But most of these are caused by another condition
that stops the flow of blood to the brain or causes bleeding in the brain.
What Causes Strokes?
Finding the cause of a stroke in a child can be hard. Strokes in adults often happen
because of high blood pressure, diabetes, or atherosclerosis. The risk factors for
stroke in children are more varied.
Ischemic strokes are the most common type in children. They're usually related
to:
- lack of oxygen during birth
- a heart defect the baby is born with
- blood disorders such as sickle
cell disease, which destroys blood cells and blocks blood vessels
- injury to an artery (a blood vessel that brings oxygen) in the brain
- dehydration
- genetic disorders like Moyamoya, a rare disease that affects arteries in the brain
- an infection, such as meningitis
or chickenpox
Some problems that affect a mother during pregnancy can cause a baby to have an
ischemic stroke before or after birth. These include:
- preeclampsia (high blood pressure during pregnancy that can cause swelling in
the hands, feet, and legs)
- premature rupture of the membranes (when a woman's water breaks more than 24 hours
before labor starts)
- diabetes
- infections
- drug abuse
- placenta problems that decrease the baby's oxygen supply, such as placental abruption
Hemorrhagic strokes can be caused by:
- a head injury that causes a broken blood vessel
- arteriovenous
malformation, a condition in which the blood vessels in the brain don't connect
properly
- an aneurysm (weakness in an artery wall)
- diseases that affect blood clotting, such as hemophilia
What Are the Signs & Symptoms of a Stroke?
Signs of a stroke in older children are often similar to signs in adults, such
as:
- sudden weakness
- slurred speech
- blurred vision
Babies who have a perinatal stroke often don't show any signs of it until months
or years later. In some cases, they develop normally, but at a much slower pace than
other kids. They also might tend to use one hand more than the other.
Children whose perinatal strokes cause more brain injury might have seizures.
The severity of seizures can vary, ranging from the child simply staring into space
to violent shaking of an arm or leg.
Signs of a stroke in infants:
- seizures in one area of the body, such as an arm or a leg
- problems eating
- trouble breathing or pauses in breathing (apnea)
- early preference for use of one hand over the other
- developmental delays, such as rolling over and crawling later than usual
A seizure may be the first sign that an older child or adolescent has had a stroke.
These children might also have sudden paralysis (inability to move) or weakness on
one side of the body, depending on the area of the brain that's affected and the amount
of damage the stroke causes. More likely, a parent first notices changes in the child's
behavior, concentration, memory, or speech.
Common signs of stroke in kids and teens:
- seizures
- headaches, possibly with vomiting
- sudden paralysis or weakness on one side of the body
- language or speech delays or changes, such as slurring
- trouble swallowing
- vision problems, such as blurred or double vision
- tendency to not use one of the arms or hands
- tightness or restricted movement in the arms and legs
- trouble with schoolwork
- memory loss
- sudden mood or behavioral changes
If your child has any of these symptoms, see a doctor right away or call
911. Kids who are actively having a stroke can be given medicine that might
reduce the severity of the stroke and the brain damage it can cause.
