Strokes in Kids: What Doctors Know and How Treatments Can Be Improved

In this study, researchers looked at how much pediatric doctors in Germany knew about strokes in kids. An online survey was sent to 1,697 doctors in Bavaria, Germany who work with children in hospitals and clinics. 14% of the doctors participated. The results of the study showed that 46% of them thought about diagnosing a stroke in a kid at least once in the past year, and 47% of them actually treated kids who had a stroke.

27% of the surveyed physicians were knowledgeable about FAST (Face-Arm-Speech-Time-Test), which helps recognize stroke symptoms. The most common signs of a stroke they knew were weakness on one side of the body called hemiparesis (90%), trouble speaking (58%), seizures (44%), headaches (40%), and being confused or not awake (33%). They also identified symptoms that might look like a stroke but are not, such as migraines (63%) and brain infections (39%). Most doctors said they use MRI scans to diagnose strokes (96%), while some also use CT scans (55%). When it comes to treatment, 80% of doctors mentioned giving medicine to break up blood clots (thrombolysis), 41% of them mentioned blood thinners, 15% of them mentioned steps that would help prevent damage to the brain, and another 15% of them mentioned treatments involving surgery.

39% of doctors had special training in dealing with strokes in kids, but 93% of them wanted more training, such as workshops (80%), reading articles (43%), or using online resources (35%). 49% of them also thought it would be a good idea to give caregivers information about strokes in kids. In short, this study shows that kids’ strokes are important to children’s doctors, but there’s still a lot they can learn to provide better care. They think having different kinds of training, sharing information in medical journals and online, and educating parents could help improve how they care for children who have strokes.

Reference, Original Abstract
Bonfert MV, Badura K, Gerstl J, Borggraefe I, Heinen F, Schroeder S, Olivieri M, Weinberger R, Landgraf MN, Vill K, Tacke M, Berweck S, Reiter K, Hoffmann F, Nicolai T, Gerstl L. Childhood Stroke: Awareness, Interest, and Knowledge Among the Pediatric Community. Front Pediatr. 2018 Jun 25;6:182. doi: 10.3389/fped.2018.00182. PMID: 29988546; PMCID: PMC6026646.