Kids Living in ‘Stroke Belt’ Not More Likely to Have Stroke: Study

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Children who live in a region of the United States known as the “stroke belt” are not more likely to be hospitalized for stroke than those who don’t live there, a new study finds.

Adults in the stroke belt — located in the southeastern United States — are more likely to be hospitalized for stroke and die from it than adults in other parts of the country, researchers say. Previous research has also found that youngsters in the stroke belt may be more likely to die from stroke than other American children.

In this study, researchers led by Dr. Judith Lichtman of the Yale School of Public Health in New Haven, Conn., examined data on stroke patients hospitalized across the country between 2006 and 2009.

Stroke hospitalization rates for adults in the stroke belt were 32 percent to 52 percent higher than for those in other parts of the country. But, the study found, stroke hospitalization rates among children were 1.2 per 1,000 in stroke belt states and 1.4 per 1,000 in other states.

In-hospital death rates among young stroke patients were also similar in all regions, according to the findings, which are to be presented Thursday at the American Stroke Association’s annual meeting in Nashville.

The finding suggests that the increased risk of stroke death among adults in the stroke belt is due to factors that develop later in life, the researchers concluded.

Research presented at meetings is typically viewed as preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.

More information

The Internet Stroke Center at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center has more about children and stroke.

Source: HealthDay

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