A prospective study of stroke in young adults in Cantabria, Spain.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to determine the incidence, type, and prognosis of stroke in young adults in Cantabria, Spain.


METHODS
We investigated prospectively all patients aged 50 years or below who were admitted with the diagnosis of a stroke to the University Hospital "Marqués de Valdecilla" from April 1, 1986, to March 31, 1988. This is the main hospital of the region to which all patients with neurological problems are referred. These patients underwent a complete clinical and laboratory assessment for stroke and had 1-year mean follow-up.


RESULTS
The total series included 81 patients. The annual age-specific crude incidence rates of stroke were 17.3 and 10.4 per 100,000 for males and females, respectively. Twenty-four patients (30%) were diagnosed as having nonembolic cerebral infarction, 14 (17%) embolic cerebral infarction, 20 (25%) subarachnoid hemorrhage, 22 (27%) spontaneous cerebral hemorrhage, and one case (1%) cerebral venous thrombosis. Eighteen patients (22%) died within 30 days of the cerebrovascular event, and two others died during the follow-up period. Seventy-nine percent of the survivors recovered and were completely self-sufficient.


CONCLUSIONS
The incidence of stroke in the young found in Cantabria is comparable with that in previous studies. The initial hospital mortality was not negligible, but the prognosis among the survivors was favorable.
Department of Neurology, University Hospital Marqués de Valdecilla, Faculty of Medicine, Santander, Spain.
C
C
Leno
J
J
Berciano
O
O
Combarros
J M
JM
Polo
J
J
Pascual
F
F
Quintana
J
J
Merino
C
C
Sedano
R
R
Martín-Durán
C
C
Alvarez
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002561:Cerebrovascular Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002648:Child; D003644:Death Certificates; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D002542:Intracranial Embolism and Thrombosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012042:Registries; D013030:Spain