STROKE IN YOUNG ADULTS: A RETROSPECTIVE STUDY OF 68 CASES

Numerous etiologies are responsible for cases of stroke in young adults. this study reviewsthe causes of two types of stroke (ischemic and intracerebral hemorrhage) in young adults aged 15 to 40years, admitted to our center (a tertiary care center) from 1997 to 2002. the purpose of this study is todetermine the relative frequency of causes of stroke in young adults and compare this with publisheddata in the literature. using the codes 46.0 to 46.8 of the international classification of diseases- 10thedition (icd-10), cases were identified from the records of the stroke patients admitted in imamkhomeini hospital and the data were collected from their files using a comprehensive questionnaire.forty-two cases of ischemic stroke (62%) and 26 cases of intracerebral hemorrhage (38%) wereidentified. the leading cause of ischemic stroke was cardioembolism (38.1%), followed byatherosclerosis in 5 cases (11.9%). among cardiac causes infarction was attributable to consequences ofrheumatic heart disease in 8 cases. in 3 cases a cessation or decrease in dose of warfarin was followeddirectly by an ischemic stroke. the most leading cause of intracerebral hemorrhage was hypertension(30.8%). other causes were anticoagulant therapy, intratumoral hemorrhage, aplastic anemia, leukemia,arteriovenous malformations, and chronic active hepatitis. in conclusion, cardioembolism andhypertension were the most leading causes of ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke in young adultsadmitted in our hospital.