Perinatal Stroke Infographic
Perinatal Infographic
American Heart Association/American Stroke Association Together to End Stroke Life is why
Did you know? A stroke can happen to infants and unborn babies Perinatal Stroke:
- Usually occurs between the middle of pregnancy and delivery
- Warning Signs and symptoms Newborns
- Seizures - Repetitive twitching of face, arm or leg
- Apnea [pauses in breathing] associated with staring
- Lethargy, poor feeding
Developing Babies
- Decreased movement or weakness on one side of the body
- Showing a hand preference before one year of age
- Developmental delays
What to do?
- Newborns – alert medical team/emergency services for possible signs of stroke
- Developing Babies – diagnosis requires early recognition of hand preference, developmental delays or decreased movement on one side of the body.
Consult with child’s healthcare team which may include a pediatric neurologist. An MRI of the brain is usually required.
Risk Factors The cause in most perinatal strokes remains unknown. Some factors that could lead to stroke include:
- Congenital heart disease
- Disorders of the placenta
- Acute blood clotting disorders Infections
Facts Less than 1% of children with perinatal stroke will go on to have more strokes Recurrence in subsequent pregnancies is also very rare – less than 1% Affects about 1 in 2000 live births 60% will have permanent neurological deficits, which may include: one-sided weakness, epilepsy, speech and language difficulties, visual impairments, learning and memory problems, behavior changes
Learn more at iapediatricstroke.org and strokeassociation.org Sources: Iapediatricstroke.org/infographic.pdf Iapediatricstroke.org/2014%20AHA.fact.pdf Heart.org/idc/groups/heart-public/@wcm/@sop/@smd/documents/downloadable/ucm_472920.pdf International alliance for Pediatric Stroke