[Cerebral infarction in young adults].

BACKGROUND

Young patients with cerebral infarction may differ from old patients with regard to clinical and prognostic aspects, and this may have implications for clinical management.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The article is based on literature found on PubMed and results from the authors' population-based study of 232 patients (aged 15-49) with cerebral infarction in Hordaland, Norway.

RESULTS AND INTERPRETATION

The aetiology of cerebral infarction differs between young and old patients. Prothrombotic states and dissection are more frequent, while atherosclerosis is a relatively rare cause of cerebral infarction among young patients. After 6 years of follow-up in the Hordaland study; 9.9% of the patients had died, 9.9% had recurrence of cerebral infarction, and 10.5% had developed post-stroke seizures. Recurrence of cerebral infarction was strongly associated with the number of traditional risk factors. Even though most studies report that a majority of patients are functionally independent upon discharge from the hospital, many of these patients drop out of their jobs. The aetiology of the disease is unknown in a large proportion of young patients and it is not known why so many drop out of their jobs; future studies should address these issues.