Risk Factors for Arterial Ischemic and Hemorrhagic Stroke in Childhood

Abstract

This study assessed potential etiologies of arterial ischemic stroke and hemorrhagic stroke among children of Mainland China. From January 1996-June 2006, 251 patients with consecutive childhood stroke (aged 1 month through 16 years) were admitted to Beijing Children's Hospital. Arterial ischemic stroke accounted for the majority of cases (62.5%). Idiopathic stroke (32.5%) was more common than cardiac stroke (8.9%), vascular or arteriopathic stroke (21.0%), hematologic disorder-associated stroke (10.8%), and other etiologies (26.8%). Vitamin K deficiency was a major etiology in 72 of 94 hemorrhagic strokes (76.6%), most of which occurred in breastfeeding infants (80.6%) and those who received no vitamin K after birth (73.6%). Arteriovenous malformation (6.4%) was a frequent etiology in the remaining hemorrhagic stroke cases. We found that ischemic stroke in children is more common than hemorrhagic stroke, and many cases of ischemic stroke are idiopathic. Vitamin K deficiency was a major etiology in these young infants who experienced hemorrhagic stroke.