Children A stroke is often overlooked

A stroke in children is often diagnosed very late

05/05/2014

The typical stroke patient is around 60 years old, has a lot of work stress and does not do a lot of sports. There are many people in their minds when they think of the approximately 280,000 people in Germany who suffer a stroke each year. But far from it. Even children can suffer from disorders of the blood supply in the brain. About 300 children are affected each year and often with serious consequences, as even doctors in children often do not think about the possibility of a stroke. The result is late diagnoses that can significantly reduce the success of treatment.

Many children suffer multiple strokes prior to diagnosis
The online edition of „WAZ“ reported on the case of little Lyn and talked to her mother. The seven-year-old girl suffered three strokes at the age of one. Meanwhile, the child no longer needs a wheelchair and wears a splint on the left arm and left leg to stabilize the paralyzed body parts. The girl had already had around 50 treatments in more than 30 clinics. Like many children, Lyn was diagnosed late with a stroke diagnosis. „Her hand had tightened funny then. They sent us away in the hospital. Since the head of the radius would be dislocated on the wrist, we were told ", her mother Pea Hollender reports to the newspaper.

Only when the girl suffered two more strokes, the doctors had come to the diagnosis. „Medial cerebral infarction, her right brain was already completely scarred. "A big shock to the parents. „Until Lyn was four and a half years old, she could not walk, could not sit, the language was completely gone, "says the mother. „Lyn needs lifelong medication for the seizures, the orthotics must be adjusted regularly. The left leg is not growing properly, last year her Achilles heel had to be surgically extended. "Lyn's mental development is also impaired. „She does not learn so intensively, her language is daily-dependent. She looks worse. "But the kid is on a very good way. „It currently exceeds all forecasts. My biggest wish is that she can lead an independent life. "

Parents like Pea Hollender want more support and education. „We collect all the information ourselves, "says Lyn's mother. „Before starting school, we got a letter with addresses from three special schools. Again, pure drawer thinking, but no useful tips. "In addition, the family must pay in ergo or physiotherapy vigorously, since the health insurance company takes only a minimum of treatments, which, however, were not sufficient. „And we need education, so that fears of contact and prejudices will be reduced "demands Pea Hollender.

Children are much less affected by strokes than adults
In Germany, around 300 children suffer a stroke each year. In a third of the circulatory disorder occurs in the brain already in the womb or during childbirth. According to the German Stroke Assistance Foundation, the number of unreported cases could be higher, because not every stroke in a child is diagnosed. Even doctors are often unaware that even infants and young children can suffer a stroke. Because you face about 280,000 strokes in the elderly. The subject of stroke in the child is also the day of the stroke on 10 May.

„It is also fatal that strokes can happen multiple times, but the little ones are unable to express what they lack, "says expert Ronald Sträter of the University of Münster told the newspaper. „The dilemma is that you do not look at the children after the stroke because they usually show only nonspecific symptoms, something inactive, are weak or weak limp.“ Unborn babies with a hole in their heart and a high risk of coagulation in mother and child have an increased risk of stroke. However, the consequences of the circulatory disorder in the brain depend, among other things, on the time of the stroke occurring - before or during childbirth or in childhood, Sträter said.

In many cases, during the first few months of their child's life, parents found that the mobility of one body half was better than the other. Most then help physiotherapy, a drug therapy is often not necessary, reports the expert. Much more severe events, however, could occur in children who suffered one or more strokes beyond infancy. He advises parents at the slightest suspicion to seek medical help, because it is a thorough neurological examination necessary to rule out a stroke can. Children who have suffered a stroke need to take blood thinners to prevent further circulatory problems in the brain.

Juvenile physician Sträter has created a database with entries from 1,000 small stroke patients. He is committed to more knowledge and optimal treatment. „The child's brain has a high plasticity. Intact regions of the brain can therefore partly take on the functions of damaged areas, "explains the doctor, which is why there are always startling progresses in the small patients, who even surprise medical professionals.