Analysis of Ischemic stroke risk factors in young Adults

Abstract

Background and objectives: Keeping in mind stroke is the leading cause of disability globally, with increasing incidence of Ischemic stroke in young age reaching approximately more than 5-10 % according to multiple studies worldwide especially in developing countries. Methods: This observational cross-sectional study was conducted at the Neurology Department of the Rizgary Hospital, Erbil, Iraq over 12 months from July 2020 until July 2021. We included consecutive patients whom their age was between 18-45 years with first-ever ischemic stroke fulfilling the definition of The American Stroke Association. All patients underwent thorough history and clinical examination. Each patient underwent routine stroke assessment, including full blood workup and vascular imaging. Results: Out of 70 patients, 41 (58.8%) were males and 29 (41.4%) were females. There is a male predominance over females, which is comparable with other studies. Our present study showed that the most obvious risk factor for stroke in young people was hypertension, which was present in (38.6%) of cases followed by diabetes mellitus (20 %.), obesity (17.1%), smoking (17%), alcohol consumption (11.4%). Regarding stroke subtypes; small vessel disease was the commonest, subtype, it was present in 25.7% of cases. A stroke from a cardiac source is the second most common (24.3%). About (17.1%) of cases were in the large vessel category. The cause of the stroke was undetermined in (14.5 %) percent of cases (cryptogenic). Conclusion: Our study demonstrated that traditional atherosclerotic risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, and smoking are responsible for most cases in young adults.