Brain stroke in children or pediatric stroke is not a very common condition. This is also known as cerebrovascular disorder and only occurs rarely in children.
What Is Brain Stroke In Children?
Strokes in children can occur due to either bleeding into the brain, which is known as the haemorrhage or because of insufficient blood flow known as ischemic stroke.
Brain Stroke Symptoms in Children
Brain stroke symptoms vary in terms of age of the children. Some may get noticeable symptoms while you may not see proper symptoms in some children. The most common symptoms of a stroke are:
- Feeling numbness on any one particular side of the body.
- Difficulty in speaking clearly or slurred speech.
- Trouble in walking or balancing.
- Sudden vision problem and double vision.
- Unexplained seizure.
- Feeling drowsiness.
Causes Of Brain Stroke In Children
Causes are not clearly known for stroke in children. But there are certain risk factors that may lead to brain stroke in both children and adults. These are:
- Cardiovascular diseases.
- Depression, stress and anxiety.
- Blood clotting disorder.
- High cholesterol level.
- Diabetes.
- Family history of stroke.
How To Diagnose Pediatric Stroke?
A child has to be taken to the paediatrician immediately if they show any brain stroke symptoms. After a thorough diagnosis, the paediatrician may refer to a neurologist if required. Under no circumstances, the child should be left untreated. Stroke can be cured with the right treatment at the right time.
Some of the most helpful tests done to understand the condition are MRI and CT scans. The doctor may also suggest for some blood tests to understand if the child has any blood clotting issue. Apart from that, an echocardiogram or catheter angiogram may also be suggested before the treatment starts.
Depending upon the root cause of the stroke, the child may be referred to other specialists such as haematologists, neurologists or intensive care doctors.
Best Treatment For Brain Stroke In Children
The stage of the stroke determines the treatment that generally is a combination of two or more methods. These are:
Therapy To Increase The Blood Flow
Your child may be under certain medications in the initial stage that help the blood to become thin and stop the clotting. Certain medicines are used to stop coagulation of the blood that supports the easy flow of blood into the brain. In case the child experiences a frequent seizure, they will receive anti-seizure medicines.
Interventional Neuroradiology
In this treatment method, the doctor treats the blood vessels with weak walls and are prone to tear and can bulge. The doctor uses a catheter inside such blood vessels to repair the abnormal area. If your child has a large clot in the brain, this catheter can remove that and restore the normal blood flow.
Apart from these two methods of brain stroke treatments, the doctor may also suggest surgery, but that depends upon the cause of the stroke.
You may consult with a paediatrician for the initial treatment. Also, make sure you find a reputed hospital that has a special unit for children’s care for such conditions.
