Stroke

A stroke is a medical condition of the brain where one of the vessels that carry blood either gets blocked or bursts. In children, strokes caused by a blockage are usually due to a thrombosis that has started in or moved to the brain.  When a vessel in the brain is blocked by a thrombosis, blood can’t flow well causing oxygen to not be able to get to the brain.  Without oxygen, brain cells will die.

The other type of stroke happens when a blood vessel in the brain bursts, causing bleeding.  When this happens, the blood can’t get to where it needs to be in the brain.  This means that the oxygen in the blood can’t get to the brain cells and they could die.

What is a thrombosis?

A thrombosis is an abnormal blood clot that has formed inside of any vein or artery and is big enough to restrict blood flow.  They can be dangerous/deadly if a part breaks off and travels to other areas of the body or completely block blood flow.

What is a blood clot?

A blood clot is a mass of blood cells, platelets and clotting proteins that is normally made by the body after an injury to stop bleeding.  However, blood clots can also form for other reasons such as poor blood flow, taking certain medications, having other medical conditions that have a high risk for the blood to clot and having other risk factors that increase the risk for the blood to clot.  When a blood clot is made abnormally or grows bigger than normal, it causes a problem with blood flow, preventing the transportation of oxygen.

Symptoms of Stroke:

It is important to know the warning signs of a stroke because the symptoms are sometimes missed in children.

  • Headache
  • Loss of balance
  • Dizziness
  • Loss of vision
  • Facial drooping, especially on one side
  • Arm weakness, especially on one side
  • Slurred speech

Risk Factors

Strokes can happen at any age.  Newborn babies are at risk for strokes for the following reasons:

  • Heart disease
  • Placenta problems
  • Blood clotting disorders
  • Infections

The risks for strokes in ages 1 month to 18 years include:

  • Heart disease
  • Having weak or malformed arteries
  • Infections that affect the brain or other organs
  • Head injury
  • Sickle cell disease
  • Having an autoimmune disorder
Treatments for strokes:
The treatment for strokes depends on the type of stroke, the cause of the stroke and how bad the stroke was.  The doctor may prescribe medicine to prevent a blood clot from getting bigger or to prevent a new clot from forming.  Rehab may be part of the treatment plan to help improve some of the effects the stroke has had. For more information about medications used to treat strokes, click here.