[Ischemic stroke in the young adult].

Ischemic stroke is uncommon in young adults, and its etiologies and prognosis are different from those verified in the cerebrovascular disease of old age. Atherosclerosis is the main cause of stroke in the elderly, while emboligenous cardiopathy is one of the main mechanism underlying this pathology in young adults. Other etiologies include atherosclerosis, coagulopathies, vasculitides, arterial dissection and migraine. Ischemic stroke in young adults must thus be studied with a different protocol from that used for the elderly.