title: Systematic review: hereditary thrombophilia associated to pediatric strokes and cerebral palsy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This review aimed to organize and consolidate the latest knowledge about mutations and genetic polymorphisms related to hereditary thrombophilia and their potential association with pediatric stroke and cerebral palsy (CP).
  
  
  METHODS
  Scientific articles published from 1993 to 2013, written in Portuguese, English, French, and Spanish, were selected and reviewed. The publications were searched in electronic databases, and also in the collections of local libraries. The terms "hereditary thrombophilia", "polymorphisms", "mutation", "pediatric strokes", and "cerebral palsy" were used for the research.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The search in databases and in the bibliographic references retrieved 75 articles for inclusion in this review. Studies that investigated hereditary thrombophilias and their associations to CP and arterial and venous pediatric stroke presented contradictory results. The meta-analysis and case-control studies that showed positive results for this association described only slightly increased relative risks and sometimes had questionable conclusions. The association of two or more hereditary thrombophilias, or the association between thrombophilia and other specific clinical risk factors, suggest a higher risk of CP and pediatric stroke than isolated hereditary thrombophilia.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Larger, multicenter studies should be developed in order to elucidate the role of mutations leading to hereditary thrombophilia and the development of CP and pediatric stroke. The complex and multifactorial etiology of CP and stroke makes this an arduous and difficult task; however, the benefits generated by these studies are immeasurable.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Goiás (PUC Goiás), Goiânia, GO, Brazil.
authors.forename: Vinicius M
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Torres
authors.affiliation: Genetics Master Program, Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Goiás (PUC Goiás), Goiânia, GO, Brazil; Laboratory of Oncogenetics and Radiobiology, Associação de Combate ao Câncer, Goiás, Goiânia, GO, Brazil. Electronic address: verasaddi@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Vera A
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: Saddi
mesh_terms: D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002547:Cerebral Palsy / Q000150:complications*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D020767:Intracranial Thrombosis / Q000150:complications; D015201:Meta-Analysis as Topic; D009154:Mutation; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D012307:Risk Factors; D020521:Stroke / Q000150:complications*; D019851:Thrombophilia / Q000150:complications* / Q000235:genetics*
keywords: Acidentes vasculares cerebrais pediátricos; Cerebral palsy; Hereditary thrombophilia; Mutation; Mutação; Paralisia cerebral; Pediatric strokes; Polimorfismos; Polymorphisms; Trombofilias hereditárias