Nearly 10% of all the strokes occur in the younger group of patients between 18-50 years. While the uncertainty about the functional outcome can affect the youth, their family and their future, few studies have addressed the longterm functional outcome in this group of patients.
As part of the “Follow-Up of Transient ischemic attack and stroke patients and Unelucidated Risk factor Evaluation”-study (FUTURE study), Synhaeve et al evaluated the longterm functional outcome in these patients after a TIA, Ischemic stroke and ICH. They demonstrated that over 9 years of follow up, about one out of 8 survivors with an ischemic stroke or ICH was functionally dependent. This number was one in 15 for TIA patients.
The factors affecting long-term functional outcome include age, severity of the initial stroke and the recurrence of stroke, stressing the importance of optimal preventive strategies in this population. Over this 30 year cohort, the more recently admitted patients had better outcome, reflecting the major improvements in stroke care and secondary prevention; Yet overall the prognosis after stroke in the youth remains poor.
read Stroke of insight (Taylor, 2006) & talent Code (Coyle,2009). It defies this paper. 1.9 years post stroke I received a Master's degree in Education. I had a severe ischemic stroke at 39