Child's stroke: spot the signs quickly

 Wednesday, November 6, 2019

Stroke, better known in adults, also affects children. Knowing how to recognize the signs as quickly as possible is essential.

 

Spot the warning signals

Each year, a thousand children and adolescents are victims of a stroke. As in adults, the treatment time is essential for the stroke, in order to increase the chances of recovery.

Warning signs such as mouth deformity, speech and vision problems, sudden headache, vomiting, weakness on one side of the body and seizures should alert. The rapid arrival of help and immediate transport of the child to the hospital reduces the risk of sequelae. The more oxygen the brain is deprived of, the greater the consequences.

 

Management following the stroke

Stroke is the number one cause of acquired disability in children. About 70% of children affected by stroke will suffer from sequelae, be it a physical handicap or an irreversible loss of intellectual capacity. Children with stroke may experience thrombolysis. This technique involves injecting a treatment capable of dissolving the clot that clogs the artery of the brain causing the stroke. This coverage reduces the risk of death and disability by 10%.

 These risks have decreased by 20% since 2015 through mechanical thrombectomy. This medical technique is practiced in addition to thrombolysis to unclog the cerebral artery responsible for the stroke. It makes it possible to extract the blood clot thanks to a probe introduced into the artery starting from the thigh.

 Stéphanie Haerts

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