The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) and the Stroke Association have issued new clinical guidance to help healthcare professionals and parents spot the signs of stroke in children.
The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) and the Stroke Association have issued new clinical guidance to help healthcare professionals and parents spot the signs of stroke in children. Here, Dr Anne Gordon, a consultant occupational therapist in paediatric neuroscience at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, provides The Clinical Services Journal with a detailed update on the guidelines.
Strokes are traditionally seen as a disease of the elderly – but they can strike children too. Although thankfully rare (around 400 children in the UK have a stroke every year), the effect of a childhood stroke can be lifelong and devastating for the child and their family.
Over the last 15 years there has been a dramatic increase in the recognition of both the incidence and consequences of stroke in children, mirroring the transformation of medical and societal attitudes and treatment pathways in adults. However, whereas stroke in adults is now considered a medical emergency, with the development of hyperacute recognition, investigation and management pathways that follow, childhood stroke lags behind.
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