[Ischemic stroke in young adults]

Ischemic strokes appear infrequently in young adults before age of 45. It is important to find the etiologic factors and treatment them adequately for preventing the recurrence. Between 1988-1998 eighty-four stroke patients were observed in the authors' clinic. Smoking and hyperlipidemia were the most frequent risk factors. These were different from other studies and they can related to the national eating habits. Atherosclerosis (33.3%), prothrombotic states (15.5%) and cardiogenic embolism (9.5%) were found in the background, but the etiology remained unclear in 17.7% of patients. Neurological signs improved in 77.4% of patients, but deterioration was found in 3.6% and 7% of patients died in spite of appropriate therapy. The frequency of the stroke in young adults and distribution of etiological factors were similar to the other studies. The occurrence of above mentioned risk factors--mainly the frequently observed hyperlipidemia--reflects local feeding features. Because of the limited diagnostic tools some cases remained unclear.