[Source:  HealthDay]
Many children who suffer a stroke had some sort of an infection in the days leading up to the stroke, a new study says.
However, childhood stroke is rare and parents shouldn’t be unduly alarmed by these findings, the researchers noted.
The researchers analyzed data collected from 2.5 million children enrolled in a health plan in California between 1993 and 2007 and identified 126 cases of childhood ischemic stroke, which is caused by reduced blood flow to the brain. These cases were compared with a control group of 378 children of similar age who didn’t suffer a stroke.
The study found that 29 percent of the children who suffered a stroke had an infection in the two days before the stroke, compared with 1 percent of the control group children.
Thirteen percent of the children who suffered a stroke had an infection three to seven days before their stroke, compared with 2 percent of the control group children.
The increased risk of stroke did not continue after the first month of infection, according to the study slated for Wednesday presentation at the American Stroke Association meeting in New Orleans.
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