A navigation of stroke in the young: Exploring risk factors and prognosis

Stroke is the second leading cause of death globally and an important cause of disability. Stroke is generally thought of as a disease of older age. However, about 10% of all strokes occur in people under the age of 50 years, commonly referred to “stroke in the young”. While the incidence of ischemic stroke has decreased among older people, the incidence of stroke at young age has increased over the past decades. Outcomes from studies among older patients with ischemic stroke cannot simply be extrapolated to young patients, as there are large differences in the causes of stroke. The majority of strokes in older adults are caused by atherosclerosis, atrial fibrillation or small vessel disease. In contrast, stroke in the young is often caused by cervical artery dissection or a patent foramen ovale (PFO), which rarely occur in the older population. Due to the large heterogeneity in causes of stroke in the young, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to prognosis and secondary prevention. The aim of this thesis is to investigate novel risk factors and prognosis of stroke at young age.