Knowing the specific symptoms of childhood stroke can literally save a child’s life or prevent serious long-term consequences. Time is brain, even for the youngest among us.
Stroke in children often goes undetected. Parents and doctors don’t consider it because they associate it exclusively with older people. This lack of recognition leads to delayed diagnosis and causes the child to miss the precious hours of the therapeutic window, during which treatment is most effective.
Stroke symptoms according to the child’s age
In newborns and babies (0-12 months)
Neonatal stroke is more common than people think. However, its symptoms are vague and easily confused with other conditions:
- Focal seizures: the baby repeatedly moves an arm or leg involuntarily
- Difficulty sucking or feeding
- Abnormal muscle tone: one side of the body flaccid or, conversely, rigid
- Abnormal eye movements or gaze deviation
- Unusual crying, extreme irritability, or, on the contrary, excessive sleepiness
- Bulging fontanel (in the case of cerebral hemorrhage)
In children aged 1 to 5 years
- Seizures affecting only one side of the body
- Sudden difficulty walking or loss of balance without apparent cause
- Drooping of one side of the face
- Sudden inability to use an arm or a leg
- Regression of previously acquired language: stops speaking or does not understand what is said to him/her
- Sudden, severe headache, especially with vomiting
- Loss of consciousness or extreme drowsiness
In older children (6-18 years)
In older children, the symptoms are more similar to those in adults. The acronym RAPID can be used:
- Drooping or asymmetrical face when smiling
- Arms: inability to lift both at the same time
- Word: slurred, confused, or incomprehensible speech
- Sudden, intense headache, described as ‘the worst of my life’
- Difficulty seeing with one or both eyes, double vision
- Sudden dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
| ACT IMMEDIATELY — Call 112 if your child experiences: • Sudden seizures, especially on one side of the body • Sudden weakness or paralysis of an arm, leg, or face • Sudden difficulty speaking, understanding, or swallowing • Explosive headache that the child describes as very severe • Sudden loss of vision or double vision • Loss of consciousness or extreme drowsiness with no apparent cause |
Differences between stroke and other conditions in children
Some conditions can be mistaken for a stroke in children. The most common are epileptic seizures, migraines with aura, dizziness, or hypoglycemia. The key difference is the sudden onset of a focal neurological deficit (weakness on one side of the body, difficulty speaking) that was not present before.
If you have any doubts, the correct action should always be to call 112. There is no time to wait.
What to do while waiting for the ambulance?
- Call 112 immediately without waiting to see if the symptoms improve.
- Keep the child lying down, still and comfortable, preferably on their side if they vomit.
- Do not give him anything to eat or drink.
- Do not administer medication on your own.
- Note the exact time the symptoms started — this is vital information for the doctor
- Stay with him and reassure him until the ambulance arrives