Rate of childhood strokes has doubled: study

Researchers say improved detection and diagnosis can’t fully explain a shocking new statistic. Twice as many children are suffering strokes than was previously believed.

Researchers say improved detection and diagnosis can’t fully explain a shocking new statistic. Twice as many children are suffering strokes than was previously believed.According to Dr. Gabrielle deVeber, a Hospital for Sick Children pediatric neurologist, hospitals are seeing more and more children like two-year-old William Lewis.Just six hours after he was born, a blood clot choked off the supply of blood to his brain, triggering a seizure.It may seem unusual that a newborn should suffer a stroke, deVeber says, but it’s not.”There’s no question that the number of babies that are recognized as having a stroke has increased over the last 10 years,” Dr. deVeber told CTV News.In fact, findings of a study deVeber presented at the World Stroke Congress in Vancouver, B.C. on Wednesday, suggest the rate has doubled from 2-3 strokes for every 100,000 births, to 5-6 strokes for the same number of newborns today.The numbers cover both ischemic stroke, where blood flow in the brain is interrupted by a clot, and hemorrhagic, where blood seeps into the from a ruptured blood vessel among people younger than 19.And even more worrisome than the higher rate, researchers say, is the fact three-quarters of the strokes weren’t detected until at least 24 hours after their onset.As the Heart and Stroke Foundation’s Dr. Philip Teal explains, that’s troubling because the longer treatment is delayed, the worse the long-term health effects of the stroke.”The time it takes to recognize the fact a child has had a stroke and treat a stroke in children is unacceptably long,” he says.Although the numbers suggest an upward trend, researchers admit they don’t know what’s behind it.Better detection could be picking up more incidences, the spike could be caused by the growing numbers of premature births, or it might be linked to kids’ treatments for heart problems and cancer.The fact 30 per cent of the strokes are suffered by newborns has also raised questions about birthing techniques.Researchers are even open to considering the impact of the trans fatty acids studies show affecting brain development.”I am struck by the potential link,” deVeber says when asked to reflect on the possible causes. “And if there is a link it’s important thing for us to pay attention to in this research.”Though childhood stroke is much less common than strokes among adults, the demands young patients place on the health-care system are far greater, not least because they will necessarily require life-long care.Dr. deVeber has been director of the Canadian Pediatric Ischemic Stroke Registry since 1992. She is now leading the first international study of childhood stroke, based on a survey of stroke registries in the United States and the United Kingdom.(Source: CTV News: June 2004)