Etiology and risk factors in the young patients with ischemic stroke

INTRODUCTION[|]Despite the lower frequency in the young than the older population, ischemic stroke has a significant impact on the patients and their families, and the society. In this study, ischemic stroke patients under the age of 50 years registered in our stroke database were compared with elderly patients in terms of risk factors and etiologic classification. Furthermore, ischemic stroke etiology with emphasis on uncommon causes in the young population was evaluated.[¤]METHODS[|]In this study, we retrospectively reviewed the data of 619 patients who were admitted with acute ischemic stroke to our hospital between January 2011 and November 2014. The patients were divided into two groups as young ischemic stroke group (patients under the age of 50) and the others with the age of ≥50 years. All registered demographic, clinical and paraclinical data of the patients were evaluated. [¤]RESULTS[|]Thirty-two (5.2%) patients were under 50 years of age and 587 (94.8%) were ≥50 years of age. As vascular risk factors, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, atrial fibrillation, and coronary artery disease were found to be significantly higher in the ≥50 age group (p˂0.05). Patent foramen ovale as a risk factor of stroke was significantly more frequent in the young group. In terms of stroke etiology, cardioembolic causes were the most common in both age groups, but the etiologic subgroup of uncommon causes was found to be more frequent in the younger population.[¤]DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION[|]In our study, the risk factors and etiologic subgroups of stroke in patients younger than fifty years were found different from those in older patients. The relatively higher frequency of uncommon causes of ischemic stroke in the young population should be considered in etiology research and treatment strategies.[¤]