Stroke in young adults: Incidence rate, risk factors, treatment and prognosis.
OBJECTIVE
To analyse the incidence, risk factors, aetiology, treatment and clinical evolution of young patients with stroke.


METHODS
Retrospective registry of patients aged 55 years or younger hospitalised in a stroke unit during 2014. We recorded the incidence rate for all strokes and analysed demographic data, risk factors, degree of stress, stroke type and aetiology, reperfusion treatments and clinical evolution.


RESULTS
The study included 110 patients, the majority of whom were men (60.9%, 1.6:1 ratio). The incidence rate was 13.3% (110 of 830 strokes). Most of the patients had cardiovascular risk factors. Smoking was the most common risk factor (56.4%), followed by arterial hypertension (50%), dyslipidaemia (42.7%), obesity (33%), diabetes (18.2%) and emboligenic heart disease (12.7%). Some 64.3% of the heart disease cases and 51.1% of the dyslipidaemia cases were discovered during hospitalisation. Some 57.2% of the patients experienced psychosocial stress in the stage prior to the stroke. Some 83.6% of the stroke cases were ischaemic, 12.7% were haemorrhagic and 3.6% were venous sinus thrombosis. Of the ischaemic stroke cases, 30.4% were cryptogenic, 23.9% were lacunar, 16.3% were from uncommon causes, 15.2% were atherothrombotic and 14.1% were cardioembolic. Some 78.6% of the cerebral haemorrhage cases were hypertensive. Some 23.3% of the ischaemic stroke cases underwent reperfusion treatments in the acute phase, achieving levels of functional independence at 3 months of 62.5%.


CONCLUSIONS
The majority of stroke events in patients 55 years of age or younger appear to be related to a high prevalence of classical cardiovascular risk factors and possibly to psychosocial stress.
Unidad de Ictus, Servicio de Neurología, Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal, Instituto de Investigación IRYCIS, Universidad de Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, España. Electronic address: javiergonzalezneurologia@gmail.com.
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FJ
González-Gómez
Unidad de Ictus, Servicio de Neurología, Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal, Instituto de Investigación IRYCIS, Universidad de Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, España.
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Pérez-Torre
Unidad de Ictus, Servicio de Neurología, Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal, Instituto de Investigación IRYCIS, Universidad de Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, España.
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DeFelipe
Unidad de Ictus, Servicio de Neurología, Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal, Instituto de Investigación IRYCIS, Universidad de Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, España.
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Vera
Unidad de Ictus, Servicio de Neurología, Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal, Instituto de Investigación IRYCIS, Universidad de Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, España.
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Matute
Unidad de Ictus, Servicio de Neurología, Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal, Instituto de Investigación IRYCIS, Universidad de Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, España.
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Cruz-Culebras
Unidad de Ictus, Servicio de Neurología, Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal, Instituto de Investigación IRYCIS, Universidad de Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, España.
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R
Álvarez-Velasco
Unidad de Ictus, Servicio de Neurología, Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal, Instituto de Investigación IRYCIS, Universidad de Alcalá de Henares, Madrid, España.
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Masjuan
Cardiovascular risk factors; Cerebral haemorrhage; Cerebral infarction; Estrés; Factores de riesgo vascular; Hemorragia cerebral; Ictus; Ictus en adultos jóvenes; Infarto cerebral; Stress; Stroke; Stroke in young adults