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Pediatric stroke is a stroke that occurs in children or adolescents. Stroke affects an estimated 2.5 to 13 per 100,000 children annually. [1] The signs and symptoms of stroke in children, infants, and newborns are different from those in adults. The causes and risk factors of stroke in children are also different from those in adults. [2]
Risk factors include preterm birth, being a twin, certain infections or exposure to methylmercury during pregnancy, a difficult delivery, and head trauma during the first few years of life. [1] New studies suggest that inherited genetic causes play a role in 25% of cases, where formerly it was believed that 2% of cases were genetically determined.
Besides hemiplegia, symptoms of the disorder include an extremely broad range of neurological and developmental impairments which are not well understood. Normally, hemiplegia and other associated symptoms cease completely with sleep, but they may recur upon waking. [1] Most frequently AHC is caused by a spontaneous mutation in the ATP1A3 gene.
Spastic cerebral palsy is caused by malformation of or damage to the parts of the brain that control movement. [12] What exactly makes some children susceptible to such brain damage is often unknown but it is believed that cerebral palsy may be the result of causal pathways, or chains of events that cause or increase the likelihood of brain injury. [13]
Hemiplegia, in its most severe form, is the complete paralysis of one entire side of the body. Either hemiparesis or hemiplegia can result from a variety of medical causes, including congenital conditions, trauma, tumors, traumatic brain injury and stroke.
Spastic hemiplegia is a neuromuscular condition of spasticity that results in the muscles on one side of the body being in a constant state of contraction. It is the "one-sided version" of spastic diplegia. It falls under the mobility impairment umbrella of cerebral palsy. About 20–30% of people with cerebral palsy have spastic hemiplegia. [1]
[1] [2] It can affect newborns and (less commonly) fetuses; premature infants are at the greatest risk of neonatal encephalopathy which may lead to this condition. Affected individuals generally exhibit motor control problems or other developmental delays, and they often develop cerebral palsy or epilepsy later in life.
Infants are at most risk to germinal matrix hemorrhages when they are born prematurely, before 32 weeks. [18] The stresses exposed after birth, along with the fragile blood vessels, increase risk of hemorrhage. Signs and symptoms include flaccid weakness, seizures, abnormal posturing, or irregular respiration. [18]