Incidence and short-term outcome of cerebral infarction in young adults in western Norway

Background and Purpose-We sought to determine the incidence and short-term outcome of people aged 15 to 49 years with first-ever cerebral infarction in 1988-1997 in Hordaland County, Norway. Methods-Cases were found from computer search of hospital registries and detailed review of patient records. Stroke subtype was classified according to the major intracranial artery affected. Short-term outcome was evaluated by the modified Rankin Scale (mRS). Results-A total of 96 women and 136 men met the inclusion criteria. The average annual incidence was 11.4/100 000. Women outnumbered men among those aged <30 years (P=0.059); men predominated among those aged greater than or equal to30 years (P=0.004). A total of 148 patients had anterior circulation infarction (64%), and 84 had posterior circulation infarction (36%) (P<0.001). Patients with posterior circulation infarction had better mRS score at discharge (P=0.005). Eighty percent had favorable outcome (mRS score less than or equal to2). The 30-day case fatality rate was 3.4%. The recurrence rate in hospital was 2.2%. Conclusions-The incidence was in the lower range compared with other reports from western Europe. Although men predominated, there was a strong trend toward more women among patients aged <30 years. Short-term outcome was generally good. Patients with posterior circulation infarction had significantly better short-term outcome.