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Show: November 22, 2009:
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Did You Know?: Childhood Strokes
Host: Jeremy Shere, PhD
Did you know that kids having a stroke is more common than you may think?
Strokes in kids are rare. A recent study found that for every 100,000 children in the U.S., only about two and a half have strokes. But that's up to four times more often than experts had assumed.
Unlike adults strokes, which are often linked to high cholesterol and blood pressure, obesity, and smoking, kids strokes are more accidental. Causes include birth defects, infections, trauma, and blood disorders such as sickle cell disease.
Because we tend to think that stroke is something that happens to adults, stroke symptoms in kids often go unnoticed for days.
If your child complains of a severe headache, has trouble speaking, and experiences numbness, those are red flags. And the sooner the child gets to the hospital, the better.
And now you know.
Additional Resources:
- Read more about childhood strokes from Web MD and the National Stroke Association.
