Pediatric Strokes: Identifying Signs

Author: Heather Hajek

Did you know infants and children can have strokes, too? When most people hear of stokes they think of someone that is idled-aged or older, but recently the American Heart Association (AHA) released new guidelines to help parents and health care providers identify signs of strokes in children. Children, even before they are born, can suffer strokes and recognizing the signs can be difficult as they differ from those seen in adults.

Strokes in children are not as rare as one might think. For newborn babies one of the first signs of a stroke are seizures, where only one arm or leg is involved. Actually strokes are thought to be linked to 10 percent of seizure in babies born at full term. For adults, seizures are not a common symptom of a stroke. Most children are at their greatest risk for strokes during their first year of life. Children who are at the greatest risk of strokes are those with sickle cell anemia and heart disease, but other children are also at risk. Such as those who suffer a head or neck injury, dehydration, inflammatory bowel disease, and autoimmune diseases. A mother's health history is also thought to contribute to infant stroke, such as those mothers who have a history of infertility, premature rupturing of the membranes, or those that develop preeclampsia.

Many involved with the release of the new guidelines hope it will help educate parents and health care providers of the symptoms and help to treat stroke victims. One stroke victim, Michelle Ballasiotes, suffered her first stroke before she was even born. Michelle was one of the lucky ones as doctors realized something had happened to her while in he womb. When she was only three days old, doctors determined that she had suffered from a stroke in the womb and were able to begin treatment right away. Quick reaction to signs and symptoms is one of the key factors to a good recovery after suffering a stroke.

Dr. E. Steve Roach headed the committee that released the new child stroke guidelines for the AHA. He states, "There's a lot of expertise about it, but that expertise is clustered in a few places." He also referred to the fact that childhood strokes are more common than childhood brain tumors, but receive little attention and they affect one in every 3,000 to 4,000 children. Roach hopes the guidelines will help pediatricians who are not close to a pediatric stroke specialized center.

Dr. Lori Jordan, a pediatric neurologist and director of the Johns Hopkins Pediatric Stroke Program, explained some of the signs of a stroke in children are weakness on one side of their body, slurred speech, and if a child before a year old shows more tendencies to use the right hand or left, because typically children don't differentiate before then. Pediatricians want parents to realize the importance of quick response to stroke victims.

The majority of the population would rush a parent to the nearest doctor or hospital if their parents had lost function in an arm or leg or stopped talking, but would we do the same for our children? Doctors feel most parents would not. Parents for the most part don't think their children can suffer a stroke, and the signs and symptoms are not as apparent as that of an adult. Dr. Jose Biller, co-author of the guidelines pointed out, "The quicker a child or young adult is diagnosed and treated, the better the outcome." He also stated, at least half of the children who suffer a stroke suffer a disability or impairment.

Doctors are hoping the guidelines will help educate parents that strokes can and do happen in babies and children. They hope the guidelines will help parents to recognize the signs and symptoms of a stroke and the importance of getting stroke victims treated quickly. Because pediatric stroke experts are not everywhere, these guidelines will hopefully lend guidance to doctors when treating or diagnosing child stroke victims. Especially, since signs of strokes in children is very different from adults