Stroke
Signs and Symptoms

There are two main types of strokes:

• Ischemic Stroke — With ischemic stroke, the blood supply to the brain becomes blocked. This prevents oxygen and nutrients from reaching brain cells. Within a few minutes, these cells begin to die.
• Hermorrhagic Stroke — With hemorrhagic stroke, a blood vessel within the brain leaks or ruptures. This is called an intracerebral hemorrhage. When this happens, blood moving into brain tissue near the hemorrhage damages cells. In children, a malformation of the blood vessels in the brain, called an arteriovenous malformation, is a common cause of intracerebral hemorrhage. In a subarachnoid hemorrhage, blood leaks under the lining of the brain. This is often caused by a small bubble on an artery known as an aneurysm.

Each child may experience symptoms of stroke differently, depending on the area of their brain that has been affected.

The most common symptom is a weakness along one side of the body. This may be difficult to recognize in children who may be too young to verbalize how they feel. A child's face may droop on one side and his or her speech may be affected. Other common symptoms may include:

• Blurred or double vision or unequal pupils
• Brief loss of consciousness
• Drooling
• Seizures
• Sudden onset of difficulty speaking, such as slurred or garbled speech
• Sudden onset of partial or complete blindness
• Sudden, severe headache

Reviewed by health care specialists at UCSF Children's Hospital.
Last updated March 10, 2010