Page 8 - pediatric_stroke_warriors_family_toolkit
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PERINATAL STROKE KEY POINTS
• The majority of Pediatric Strokes
occur in the perinatal period affecting
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roughly 1 in 2000 live births.
• The most common type of stroke in
the perinatal period is ischemic
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stroke.
• Less than 1% of children who have
PERINATAL STROKE SYMPTOMS
had perinatal stroke will go on to
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have more strokes. Symptoms of stroke tend to be different in newborns (age 28 days or
younger) than in older children. Seizures are a common symptom of
perinatal stroke. They usually start 12 to 48 hours after birth and
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• A stroke before birth may be called repeat.
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fetal, prenatal or in-utero.
Some babies have no clear symptoms for weeks or months after their
stroke. Often parents, caregivers and doctors do not notice any signs of
perinatal stroke until age 4 to 6 months, when the baby starts to
• A stroke just before birth may be appear weaker or partly paralyzed on one side of the body (hemiplegia
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called neonatal or newborn. or hemiparesis).
Symptoms may include:
• In most cases of perinatal stroke a • Baby not moving one side of their body as well as the other
cause cannot be determined. • Baby keeping fingers and toes on one side of the body clenched in a
fist
• Child clearly using 1 hand more than the other (not common before
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• Perinatal strokes are often missed age 1 in healthy babies)
because the signs and symptoms are
subtle. Many infants do not show any PERINATAL STROKE RISK FACTORS
signs of stroke until they are 4 to 6
months old. • Disorders of the placenta
• Congenital heart disease
• Sickle cell disease or other blood conditions that cause abnormal
• Infants with early hand preference clotting (thrombosis) or bleeding
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before 12 months should see their • Infections, such as meningitis
pediatrician and request a referral to
a pediatric neurologist to rule out It is very important for mothers to understand that there is often nothing
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anything neurological. they did or did not do during their pregnancy that lead to their child’s
stroke.
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