Stroke

Children with stroke are cared for at the UCSF Pediatric Stroke and Cerebrovascular Disease Center, the only center in the country offering comprehensive care by the world's leading experts in childhood stroke and cerebrovascular disease, including the most challenging and complex conditions. Stroke is rare in children and management of the disease requires the expertise of many specialists as well as the most advanced diagnostic and treatment approaches.

During a stroke, a blood vessel in the brain becomes blocked or bursts. Pediatric strokes are divided into two categories — neonatal strokes or those occurring at birth or shortly after birth and childhood strokes.

Audio Interview — About 4,000 children in the United States have a stroke every year. Dr. Heather Fullerton, director of the UCSF Pediatric Stroke and Cerebrovascular Disease Center, talks about how stroke is diagnosed in children and the specialized team at UCSF to treat the condition.

Help support the work of the UCSF Pediatric Stroke and Cerebrovascular Disease Center by making a donation.

Stroke in Infants

Neonatal strokes are not well understood, but it is believed they happen right around the time of birth possibly related to many factors coming together that would cause a blood clot to go to the brain and result in a stroke. However, babies who have had a neonatal stroke are unlikely to have recurrent strokes.

One in 4,000 babies has a neonatal stroke and they are largely unpreventable. There is nothing that a mother can do during pregnancy to either increase or decrease a baby's risk of having a stroke, except avoid using certain illicit drugs. Drugs like cocaine and amphetamines used during pregnancy can increase the risk of stroke in a baby.

Stroke in Children

About four children per 100,000 experience a childhood stroke a year, most occurring in children under 2 years of age. The cause of stroke in children differs from neonatal strokes and from that of adults. Heart problems, genetic disorders, certain infections, trauma to the head and blood disorders, such as sickle cell anemia, have been shown to increase a child's risk for stroke. In some cases, the cause is unknown.

Children have a higher risk of recurrent strokes than adults or babies born with a stroke, although children may recover better than adults. Stroke symptoms may vary, affecting many aspects of a child's development including movement, speech, behavior and learning but improvements in these areas may be made for several months after a stroke. About a third of children will have a permanent disability after a stroke.

Getting Care

At UCSF Children's Hospital, experts specializing in strokes in children work with you and your family to provide the best possible care for your child. Our doctors also participate in groundbreaking research on childhood stroke, with a goal of developing new strategies to prevent and treat the condition.

For more information or to make an appointment, please call:
Child Neurology Clinic (415) 353-3682

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Reviewed by health care specialists at UCSF Children's Hospital.
Last updated October 8, 2008