A 9-year-old boy has a stroke. This happens only about a dozen times per 100,000 children.
Risk factors for strokes in children are different than in adults; they most often include heart defects or coagulation disorders, says Professor Ilona Kopyta. A few days ago, a 9-year-old boy was admitted to the University Hospital in Zielona Góra with a stroke.
The specialist emphasizes that stroke in children is considered a rare disease , so doctors may not suspect it in young patients. Stroke symptoms in the pediatric population are often nonspecific, delaying diagnosis and implementing effective treatment, and the consequences for the child can be dramatic.
Polish recommendations for the diagnosis and treatment of stroke in children and adolescents were published in 2023 in the journal Neurologia i Neurochirurgia Polska and in 2024 as a compendium in " Standardy Medyczne Pediatria ." They provide a ready-made tool for physicians, indicating how to manage pediatric patients in the acute phase of stroke.
On Wednesday, October 22, 2025, the media reported that a 9-year-old boy was admitted to the University Hospital in Zielona Góra with an acute ischemic stroke. The child had speech difficulties and weakness in the limbs on the right side of his body. Thanks to prompt diagnostics and thrombolytic treatment, the symptoms resolved, and the boy regained full mobility.
"Stroke in children is rare. In the pediatric population, it occurs between 3 and 13 cases per 100,000 children per year, which is significantly less common than in adults, and compared to older adults, up to 100 times less common," explains Prof. Ilona Kopyta , a pediatric neurologist at the Medical University of Silesia and head of the GAPSER group (Global Alliance for Pediatric Stroke Epidemiology and Resources).
The specialist explains that in pediatrics, stroke affects patients from 29 days of age to 18 years of age. In this group, slightly more than half are hemorrhagic strokes, and the rest are ischemic. In adults, these proportions are reversed – approximately 20% are hemorrhagic and 80% are ischemic.
Strokes most often occur in newborns, especially premature infants, children aged 2–4 years, and adolescents . Each group has specific risk factors.
"Risk factors in children are different than in adults. In adults, the most common factors include hypertension, diabetes, obesity, alcohol abuse, and hypercholesterolemia. These can be controlled and the risk of stroke can be reduced. However, in children, many factors are genetically determined, such as heart defects and neonatal thrombophilia," explains Professor Kopyta.
In newborns, heart defects can cause clots to form, blocking cerebral vessels. In children aged 2–4, the most common cause is arteriopathies – damage to the wall of a cerebral artery, such as the middle or internal carotid artery, leading to cerebral hypoxia. In this group, the most common is focal cerebral arteriopathy (FCA), most often acquired after respiratory infections, such as chickenpox. Post-chickenpox arteriopathy accounts for approximately 7% of all arteriopathies in childhood stroke.
– It is better to vaccinate your child to avoid not only the disease itself, but also serious complications such as encephalitis, myelitis or ischemic stroke – emphasizes the neurologist.
In adolescents, the most common risk factors are inflammatory diseases and substance use. Observational studies indicate, among other things, that amphetamines increase the risk of ischemic stroke, and cocaine increases the risk of hemorrhagic stroke.
Diagnosing stroke in children is difficult – in up to one-third of patients, the cause cannot be determined . Symptoms depend on age and the location of the stroke. In young children, symptoms are similar to those in adults: paralysis on one side of the body and speech disorders. In newborns and infants, symptoms are nonspecific, such as impaired consciousness or seizures.
The first imaging studies (CT or MRI) are often performed more than 20 hours after the onset of the illness, precluding effective treatment (thrombolysis or thrombectomy). Approximately 4% of children with stroke die in the acute phase of the illness, particularly infants and young children with heart defects.
Most children who survive the acute phase have permanent neurological deficits: limb weakness, cognitive decline, difficulty learning and concentrating, and 10–15% develop post-stroke epilepsy.
To facilitate the rapid diagnosis and treatment of stroke in children and adolescents, Polish recommendations for 2023 and 2024 have been developed, covering all specialties related to child care: neurology, hematology, radiology, neonatology and cardiology.
"Every physician treating children should be familiar with these recommendations," emphasizes Professor Kopyta. "A rapid diagnosis increases a child's chances of receiving effective treatment, such as thrombolysis or thrombectomy. Thrombolysis can be used in children 16 years of age and older, in accordance with the drug's labeling, and in younger children, off-label, with parental consent."
Thanks to these procedures, doctors from Zielona Góra quickly began treatment for the 9-year-old boy, which allowed him to fully regain neurological function.
"Treating stroke in children is effective, but it must be done early enough. That's why education and promoting knowledge about childhood strokes are so important," concludes Professor Kopyta.
Source: PAP/sko Updated: 24/10/2025 17:30
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