Stroke in young adults – a challenge for etiology, treatment and rehabilitation

Abstract

Strokes occur rarely in individuals under the age of 45 and are even more uncommon under the age of 30, the etiology of this pathology in young adults being generally related to unknown or unusual causes. We present the cases of three young adults that suffered strokes with three different unusual etiologies. The three men were 30, 36 and 43 years old, with no pathological antecedents, with neurological symptoms characteristic for stroke. Because the differential diagnostics are sometimes tricky, in all three cases imagery was very helpful. It is necessary to emphasize that in these cases one of the most important things to know is the etiology. It is very important to treat the effect too; this is the reason why we never miss an opportunity to use alteplase when all conditions are met. Common rehabilitation regimes for young adults, who have suffered a stroke, include a combination of physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech-language therapy, and pharmacological therapy. Strategies to improve motor recovery in young patients include constraint-induced movement therapy, robot-aided rehabilitation, virtual reality training, functional electrical stimulation, increased exercise intensity, and acupuncture. Keywords: stroke, young patients, etiology, thrombophilia, drugs abuse, artery dissection, rehabilitation,