Risk Factors and Etiology of Young Ischemic Stroke

Abstract

Stroke incidence rises steeply with age; therefore, stroke in younger people (18-50 years) is less common and is currently estimated to constitute up to 15–18% of all ischemic strokes. However, stroke in a young person can be devastating in terms of productive years lost and impact on a young person’s life, so knowledge of the risk factors and causes of stroke is essential to inform them on the cause of the disease and to possibly prevent future vascular disease. The etiologic and prognostic features that characterize strokes in older persons may not apply to young adults ending up as being classified with a stroke due to an unknown cause; hence, it is important to develop a classification system for strokes in young adults to identify more risk factors and causes of stroke in young adults, leaving a smaller residual category of patients with an unknown cause of stroke.