Introduction:

Ischemic stroke in young adults is defined as occurring in individuals between the ages of 18 and 55, representing 15-18 % of all ischemic strokes. Risk factors in young adults are similar to those found in older adults. The objective of this study is to describe the clinical characteristics and risk factors of a population under 55 years of age with ischemic stroke treated at a hospital reference center in Colombia.

Materials and methods:

Descriptive, retrospective cross-sectional study in patients between 18 and 55 years old. A total of 100 patients between 18 and 55 years old who survived a first confirmed acute ischemic stroke, as confirmed by neuroimaging, were included. The study period was from January 2019 to November 2021.

Results:

Out of 1023 patients diagnosed with acute ischemic stroke, 9.8 % occurred in young adults. The mean age was 45 ± 8.7 years, of which 59 % were male.

Discussion:

"Traditional" risk factors are present in the majority of young adults with ischemic stroke. Hypertension remains the most common antecedent. Women experience more severe events and worse functional outcomes.

Conclusion:

Patients over 45 years old have a risk factor profile similar to what is observed in older adults with stroke, while in those under 45, a different risk factor profile is found, which poses a particular etio-logical diagnosis for this population.

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