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Poster

State of Science: Stroke in Young Adults ​

Thursday, November 2, 2023
10:20 AM – 10:26 AM  
Location: Station 1
Objective(s): The objective of this scoping review is to synthetize the literature and summarize the epidemiological factors, clinical characteristics, and utilization of post-acute care services among YAS.

Data Sources: Peer-reviewed manuscripts from PubMed, PsycINFO, Web of Science, EMBASE and CINAHL with search terms “young,” “stroke” and “cerebrovascular accident” were retrieved.

Study Selection: Studies between 2003-2021 and including individuals with stroke between ages of 18-65 were included. The exclusion criteria were Studies with non-human populations, reviews, conference abstracts, case reports, textbook chapters, editorials, studies that solely studied TIA or grouped stroke and TIA together, articles with data collected prior to 2003, participants < 18 or > 65, no age range defined, surgical and pharmacological interventions, n≤ 5, and prevention studies.

Data Extraction: Ten reviewers participated in data extraction, with each article extracted by two independent reviewers and the primary investigatory acting as the final review of data for accuracy of data synthesis. Any discrepancies are resolved through group consensus.

Data Synthesis: The review included a total of 1,093,366 YAS, ranging in age from 18 to 65 years. The mean age of YAS was 37 years (n=127 studies). The mean National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score was 6.6 (n=12 studies). Risk factors unique to YAS reported oral contraceptives (n=4), hyperhomocysteinaemia (n=4) and patent foramen ovale (n=6). Functional outcomes were reported using a modified Rankin Score (mRS), where 58% of YAS had a mRS 0-2 and 42% had a mRS >2 (n=21). Psychosocial sequelae included anxiety (40%; n=7), and depression (40%; n=14). Lastly, post-acute care discharge disposition and return to work were reported with 56% of YAS discharged home and 63% of YAS returned to full-time work (n=19).

Conclusions: The results of this study highlight the needs and deficits in care among YAS. Greater efforts need to be made to overcome the barriers to rehabilitation and increase accessibility to all post-acute healthcare services.

Author(s) Disclosures: No Disclosures

Learning Objectives:

  • Upon completion, participants will be able to understand the the impact of short and long term sequelae on young adults who experience a stroke
  • Upon completion, participants will be able to examine the risk factors and etiology unique to young adults who experience a stroke
  • Upon completion, participants will be able to understand the impact of an increasing incidence of young adult stroke