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Minor infections may increase children's risk for stroke
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Children with minor infections had an increased risk for stroke within a 3-day time period, according to study findings published in Neurology.
Nancy K. Hills, PhD, from the department of neurology at the University of California, San Francisco, and colleagues assessed medical visits for minor infections among 102 children with arterial ischemic stroke and 306 children without stroke. Children who had severe infections, such as sepsis and meningitis, were excluded from the study. Medical visits within 2 years prior to stroke were evaluated.
Nancy K. Hills
The most significant association between infection and stroke was observed among children who had medical visits 3 days prior to stroke (OR=12.1; 95% CI, 2.5-57). Ten children with stroke had a medical visit for infection during the 3-day time period, compared with two children without stroke.
Eighty percent of visits during the 3-day time period prior to stroke resulted in respiratory infections diagnoses.
Heather Fullerton
Children with stroke had more medical visits for infection for all time periods after 4 days prior to stroke. More cumulative medical visits for infection was not associated with an increased risk for stroke.
“These findings suggest that infection has a powerful but short-lived effect on stroke risk,” study researcher Heather Fullerton, MD, said in a press release. “It’s important the public does things we can to prevent infection, like vaccinations, good hand-washing and covering your mouth when you sneeze in order to protect all children, but it’s especially important to help prevent stroke in someone who is otherwise predisposed.”
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