Stroke and children
Most people associate stroke with elderly people, but anyone can have a stroke, including
children and babies. Strokes tend to happen for different reasons in children, but often the outlook for recovery is better. This factsheet explains some of the causes of
stroke in children, how stroke can affect children and the treatments and support available.
Information for parents
Parents of children who have had a stroke often want to speak to other parents in the same situation. Parents can make contact with each other through the Letters Page of the Stroke Association’s quarterly magazine “Stroke News” and our Regional Centres can offer more local support. There are also other organisations providing support to families.
Parents Network
Helping parents build links with each other as part of a parents network is something The Stroke Association Is keen to do and we already have parents willing to work alongside us to support others.
Why did it happen?
- A stroke happens when the blood supply to an area of the brain is interrupted or disrupted. This causes a number of different effects, depending on the part of the brain affected and the amount of damage done.
- In children and young adults, the reason a stroke happens and recovery may differ from that in older people.
- Up to 50% of strokes in children are caused by a bleed (haemorrhage) in the brain.
- Reasons for a bleed happening include formation of blood vessels in the brain from birth, which may burst and bleed into the brain; a brain infection; severe dehydration; prolonged low blood pressure or head injury.
- The other cause of a stroke is a blockage in a blood vessel (an ischaemic stroke). In children this can be a result of heart disease present from birth, major heart surgery, or a brain tumour. More recently, research shows that the childhood illness chickenpox may also be a more common cause of ischaemic childhood stroke than was realised in the past.
- There are also other conditions, like sickle cell disease and thalassaemia, which are risk factors for stroke and more unusual conditions which can lead to stroke in children, including Moyamoya disease read more
