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Risk of stroke in children: ethnic and gender disparities

Heather J Fullerton1, Yvonne W Wu, Shoujun Zhao

  • 1Department of Neurology, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143-0114, USA. hjfc@itsa.ucsf.edu

Neurology
|July 23, 2003
PubMed

Insights

Black children and boys face higher hospitalization rates for stroke. These increased risks are not fully explained by sickle cell disease or trauma, indicating other contributing factors.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Neurology
  • Epidemiology
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Childhood stroke is a significant health concern with varying incidence across demographics.
  • Understanding risk factors and disparities in pediatric stroke is crucial for targeted interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the incidence and identify demographic risk factors for childhood stroke.
  • To investigate ethnic and sex-based disparities in pediatric stroke hospitalization rates.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of a California-wide hospital discharge database for first-time childhood stroke admissions (1 month to 19 years) between 1991-2000.
  • Calculation of incidence rates per 100,000 person-years and case fatality rates based on in-hospital deaths.

Main Results:

  • Identified 2,278 first childhood stroke admissions with an overall annual incidence of 2.3 per 100,000 children.
  • Black children exhibited higher risks for ischemic stroke, subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), and intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) compared to white children.
  • Boys demonstrated a higher risk for all stroke types, and this excess risk persisted even after excluding cases with sickle cell disease or trauma.

Conclusions:

  • Hospitalization rates for stroke are elevated in black children and boys.
  • Sickle cell disease and trauma do not fully account for the observed disparities in stroke risk among these groups.
Abstract

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