Stroke in young: An Indian perspective

The issue of stroke in young in India has long been of interest to neurologists in the country. The age group for stroke in young has been variable between different studies but perhaps should be restricted to 15-49 years as this age group tends to have a unique set of causes and risk factors. There is no evidence indicating higher incidence of stroke in young in India than in other countries. Age-specific incidence rates from recent population-based studies from India are comparable to the western populations. Though the traditional risk factors of stroke play a significant role in young age group also, the presence of high number of cryptogenic strokes, cardioembolic and venous strokes makes diagnostic evaluation in this age group more challenging. This review aims at defining the age group for stroke in young, focuses on incidence of stroke in young on the basis of different population-based studies and details the risk factors and diagnostic approach of different stroke subtypes in young.