Stroke in Children and Younger Adults

This article reviews distinct acquired and congenital etiologies, age-specific and sex-specific risks, and lifelong implications of cerebrovascular conditions in children and young adults.

Stroke incidence is rising among younger adults. An increased burden of vascular risk factors, particularly in adults older than 35 years, may play a role, as well as a confluence of underlying predisposing nonatherosclerotic risks and inciting triggers. New data and American Heart Association/American Stroke Association scientific statements are informing antithrombotic management in the setting of cervical artery dissection and cerebral venous thrombosis. Young people with chronic conditions affecting cerebrovascular health, including moyamoya arteriopathy, sickle cell disease, and congenital heart disease, may face accumulating and modulating risks for stroke as they age. Facilitating access to follow-up with specialized multidisciplinary care is important in optimally managing these complex diseases.

Stroke in young patients can result from nonatherosclerotic mechanisms such as dissection, arteriopathies, cardiac shunts, or systemic disease. Conventional vascular risk factors play a larger role in stroke risk in patients older than 35 years. Chronic conditions such as sickle cell disease, congenital heart disease, and moyamoya arteriopathy require lifelong cerebrovascular surveillance and individualized risk reduction strategies. Sex-specific factors, including menstruation, contraception, and pregnancy, can complicate management and amplify risks in younger patients, underscoring the need to promote awareness among neurologists who treat cerebrovascular disease in these individuals.