Common Infections Tied to Stroke Risk in Kids

In a recent study published in the journal Neurology, researchers from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) found that common colds and other minor infections may temporarily increase stroke risk in children, with the risk increasing only within a three-day period between a child’s visit to the doctor for signs of infection and having the stroke. Strokes are extremely rare in children, with just five out of 100,000 kids affected per year. “The infections are acting as a trigger in children who are likely predisposed to stroke,” said a pediatric vascular neurologist at UCSF. The results of the study showed that out of the 102 children identified who had suffered an ischemic stroke, a total of 10 had a doctor visit for an infection within three days of the stroke, or 9.8 percent — while only two of the 306 control participants, or 0.7 percent — had an infection during the same period. To read more about this study, click here.