Strokes in Young Adults

Occlusion of the internal carotid or middle cerebral artery was seen in 44 young adults of both sexes from a rural population in Ceylon over a period of four years. None had hypertension, diabetes, prediabetes, or hypercholesterolaemia. There were 19 men with internal carotid occlusions, most being due to atherosclerotic thrombosis. The high incidence of atherosclerosis in these patients on a marginal diet remains an enigma, and we suggest that carbohydrate-induced hyperlipidaemia might be an important aetiological factor. There were 13 men with middle cerebral occlusions, the aetiology of which remains obscure. Occult embolism or atherothrombosis are suggested as possible causative factors. Of the 12 women five had middle cerebral artery occlusions in the last trimester of pregnancy and two had internal carotid artery occlusions in the puerperium. The pattern of ischaemic strokes in women aged 15-45 was similar to that observed in Western countries, though our patients differed ethnologically and in dietary habits.