Bristol researcher finds baby boys at higher risk of stroke

Researchers in Bristol have found infant boys to be at a higher risk of becoming a victim of stroke than girls.

Although stroke is believed to affect only elderly adults, it is among the top ten causes of death in infants and children.

Though rates have fallen steadily since the 1960s, death rates remain significantly higher in boys rather than girls, finds new researched published in the Archives of Disease in Childhood.

Boys were found to be 50 per cent more likely to die of stroke during infancy than girls.

Death from stroke peaks during infancy in children less than one year of age and accounts for 28 per cent of all childhood stroke deaths.

The causes of stroke in children differs from adults and can be triggered by heart disease, sickle cell disease, cancer, meningitis, chicken pox, genetic factors, and congenital abnormalities.

The research was led by Dr Finbar O’Callaghan at the University of Bristol.