Stroke at a younger age.

Stroke is a suddenly developing disorder, caused by focal disturbance of cerebral circulation, followed by neurologic deficits of varying intensity with duration longer than 1 hour; it mostly occurs in old and middle age, and rarely at a younger age. The aim of the study was to analyze the occurrence of stroke at a younger age (18-49 years). We analyzed all stroke patients aged 18-49 treated at University Department of Neurology in Sarajevo during 2009, including analysis of their risk factors. During the one-year period, there were 820 stroke patients in total, 132 (18.5%) of them aged 18-49, male to female ratio 51.35%:48.65%. The majority of strokes were of ischemic type (94.59%), with only 5.41% of hemorrhagic stroke. The following risk factors were confirmed in study patients: hypertension (64.86%), smoking (57.76%), dyslipidemia (48.65%), ischemic heart disease (43.32%), psychological stress (29.73%), diabetes mellitus type 2 (24.43%), previous stroke including transient ischemic attack (21.62%), and others. During the one-month follow-up, 27.03% of patients achieved complete recovery, whereas mild neurologic signs were retained in 54.05%, signs of severe deficit requiring assistance in 13.51%, and 5.41% of patients died. In conclusion, stroke occurs even at a younger age in certain percentage. Along with smoking, diabetes, dyslipidemia and stress, hypertension is one of the leading risk factors for stroke also at a younger age. Timely and appropriate treatment contributes to faster recovery and shorter hospital stay, while reducing overall stroke sequels. The best prevention is primary, i.e. fighting risk factors and healthy lifestyle.