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Published on: April 21, 2017
Pediatric stroke in an African country
Julius Alexander Ogeng'o1, Beda O Olabu, Anne N Mburu
1Department of Human Anatomy, University of Nairobi, PO Box 30197-00100, Nairobi, Kenya.
Insights
Pediatric stroke is common in Kenya, with ischemic stroke being the most frequent type. Risk factors like connective tissue disorders and infections differ from global patterns, necessitating further research.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Pediatrics
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Pediatric stroke patterns vary globally, with limited data from Sub-Saharan Africa.
- Understanding these variations is crucial for effective prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and prognostication.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the subtypes, risk factors, localization, and demographic distribution of pediatric stroke in Kenyan children.
Main Methods:
- A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted at Kenyatta National Hospital.
- Data from pediatric patients (1 month to 18 years) over five years were analyzed.
- Statistical analysis included SPSS and graphical representations.
Main Results:
- Pediatric stroke accounted for 4.5% of stroke cases (32 patients).
- Ischemic stroke was predominant (56.3%), with common sites including the cortex and lacunar regions.
- Key risk factors identified were connective tissue disorders (28.1%), heart disease (25%), HIV (9.4%), and infections (9.4%).
Conclusions:
- Pediatric stroke is a significant health issue in Kenya.
- The identified risk factors differ from those reported in other populations.
- Further community-based studies are recommended to explore these unique epidemiological findings.
Background:
The pattern of pediatric stroke displays ethnic and geographical variations. There are few reports from black Sub-Saharan Africa, although relevant data are important in prevention, clinical diagnosis, treatment and prognostication.
Aim:
To describe subtypes, risk factors, localization, age and gender distribution of pediatric stroke in the black Kenyan population.
Study Design And Setting:
Retrospective cross-sectional study in a single regional referral and teaching hospital.
Statistical Analysis:
Data were analyzed by SPSS version 13.0 for Windows and presented in tables and bar and pie charts.
Materials And Methods:
The study was performed at the Kenyatta National Hospital, a level-6 regional referral health facility with an annual pediatric in-patient turnover of about 40,000 patients. Files of patients aged 1 month to 18 years over a period of 5 years were analyzed for stroke subtypes, localization, risk factors, age and sex distribution. Only those files with complete information were included.
Results:
Thirty-two of the 712 stroke patients (4.5%) were pediatric. The male:female ratio was 1.7:1. Ischemic stroke comprised 56.3% (n = 18). Mean age was 7.7 years (range, 1.5-18 years). The most common sites were cortical (51%), lacunar (41%) and brain stem (8%). The most common risk factors were connective tissue disorders (28.1%), heart disease (25%), human immunodeficiency virus (9.4%) and infection (9.4%).
Conclusion:
Pediatric stroke is not uncommon in the Kenyan population. The risk factor profile comprising connective tissue disorders and infection differs from that reported in other populations, inviting large community-based studies.
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