Objective: To study the risk factors, etiology and management of ischemic stroke in young adults in a South Asian population.
Methods: Retrospective study conducted at a large tertiary hospital in Karachi. One hundred and eighteen patients between fifteen and forty-five years admitted over a five year period with a diagnosis of ischemic infarct constituted the study population. The study variables included the full clinical spectrum, spanning historical, laboratory, radiological and outcome parameters.
Results: Forty-three percent of patients were hypertensive and 30% were diabetic. The combination of diabetes and hypertension was found in 19.5% of patients, intra-cranial and carotid artherosclerosis in 22% and embolism in 11% of the cases. The in-hospital mortality was 11%. The outcome was excellent in 27%, good in 50% and poor in 23% of patients.
Conclusion: The risk factors for artherosclerosis and the contribution of intra and extra-cranial artherosclerosis were found to be much higher than those from the Western Hemisphere.