Strokes in children need to be recogniz...( Who would think a seemingly healthy tee...),Health

Fortunately, Colin's parents acted quickly, calling an ambulance and having him taken to a pediatric hospital that was prepared to assess and treat this sudden event. The medical staff diagnosed it as a stroke--an interruption in blood flow within the brain. Today, two years later, Colin still has lingering weakness in his left arm and other aftereffects, but has largely recovered.

"Although usually thought of as afflicting only elderly patients, strokes may occur as early as infancy," said pediatric neurologist Rebecca Ichord, M.D., who treated Colin at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. "Stroke needs to be considered by first-line pediatric caregivers who encounter a patient with suspicious neurological symptoms, such as difficulty walking or using an arm."

"Emergency medicine staff members are far more aware of the possibility of stroke among adult patients than they are among children who are brought to the hospital," added Dr. Ichord, who directs the Pediatric Stroke Program at Children's Hospital.

Dr. Ichord led a study featured at the "Children and Stroke" news conference today at the International Stroke Conference sponsored by the American Stroke Association. Her study team found that delays were common in diagnosing stroke in children, and proposed that improved knowledge and management of stroke symptoms could lead to improved outcomes.

Dr. Ichord and colleagues from Children's Hospital and the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine explained results of a study of 12 children aged 2 to 18 years old, who presented to various local emergency centers in 2003 and 2004. All the children had acute arterial ischemic stroke, with the main symptoms eith
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Contact: Rachel Salis-Silverman
Salis@email.chop.edu
267-426-6063
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
17-Feb-2006