Page 5 - Talking About The Facts. Stroke In Children
P. 5

PERINATAL STROKE KEY POINTS


       •  The majority of Pediatric Strokes
           occur in the perinatal period affecting
                                    1
           roughly 1 in 2000 live births.



       •  The most common type of stroke in
           the perinatal period is ischemic
                 5
           stroke.



       •  Less than 1% of children who have
                                                  PERINATAL STROKE SYMPTOMS
           had perinatal stroke will go on to
                            1
           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
                                                         4
       •  A stroke before birth may be called     repeat.
                                  4
           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
                                    4
                                                                 4
           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
                                                                           4
       •  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
                                                                                4
           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
                               1
           anything neurological.                 they did or did not do during their pregnancy that lead to their child’s
                                                  stroke.








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