Acta Clin Croat, Vol. 50, No. 2, 2011 185 Acta Clin Croat 2011; 50:185-191 Original Scientifc Paper STROKE AT A YOUNGER AGE Jasminka Đelilović-Vranić, Azra Alajbegović, Merita Tirić-Čampara and Ljubica Todorović University Department of Neurology, Sarajevo University Clinical Center, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina SUMMARY – Stroke is a suddenly developing disorder, caused by focal disturbance of cerebral circulation, followed by neurologic defcits of varying intensity with duration longer than 1 hour; it mostly occurs in old and middle age, and rarely at a younger age. Te aim of the study was to analyze the occurrence of stroke at a younger age (18-49 years). We analyzed all stroke patients aged 18-49 treated at University Department of Neurology in Sarajevo during 2009, including analysis of their risk factors. During the one-year period, there were 820 stroke patients in total, 132 (18.5%) of them aged 18-49, male to female ratio 51.35%:48.65%. Te majority of strokes were of ischemic type (94.59%), with only 5.41% of hemorrhagic stroke. Te following risk factors were confrmed in study patients: hypertension (64.86%), smoking (57.76%), dyslipidemia (48.65%), ischemic heart disease (43.32%), psychological stress (29.73%), diabetes mellitus type 2 (24.43%), previous stroke including transient ischemic attack (21.62%), and others. During the one-month follow-up, 27.03% of patients achieved complete recovery, whereas mild neurologic signs were retained in 54.05%, signs of severe defcit requiring assistance in 13.51%, and 5.41% of patients died. In conclusion, stroke occurs even at a younger age in certain percentage. Along with smoking, diabetes, dyslipidemia and stress, hypertension is one of the leading risk factors for stroke also at a younger age. Timely and appropriate treatment contributes to faster recovery and shorter hospital stay, while reducing overall stroke sequels. Te best prevention is primary, i.e. fghting risk factors and healthy lifestyle. Key words: Stroke; Age factors; Risk factors Correspondence to: Jasminka Đelilović-Vranić, MD, PhD, Univer- sity Department of Neurology, Sarajevo University Clinical Cen- ter, Bolnička 25, 71000 Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina E-mail: jasminka000@bih.net.ba Received December 2, 2010, accepted July 8, 2011 Introduction Hippocrates, the father of medicine, was the frst to recognize the symptoms of stroke more than 2400 years ago 1 . Stroke (stroke, cerebral apoplexy, cerebro- vascular accident) is a disease of the brain parenchy- ma, which is caused by inadequate cerebral circula- tion, compromised or complete interruption of blood fow to an area, regardless of whether it results from disturbance in the brain or it is the result of impaired cerebral circulation caused by diseases of other organs or organ systems and infuenced by the actions of dif- ferent physical and chemical agents 2 . Stroke is defned as a disorder with abrupt onset, followed by neurological defcit of varying intensity, caused by focal disturbance of cerebral circulation, with a duration of defcit for more than 24 hours, which can lead to lethal outcome. Even with diag- nostic and therapeutic advances in medicine, stroke is now the third leading cause of mortality in the world (after cancer and cardiovascular disease), the second leading cause of disability (after trauma), and the sec- ond leading cause of dementia (after Alzheimer’s dis- ease). Terefore, stroke is a major health, social and community problem. Te aim of the study was to determine the total number of patients sufering stroke at a younger age (18-49 years) during a one-year period (from January 1 to December 31, 2009), with special reference to the presence of risk factors in these patients. Patients and Methods Te study was conducted at University Department of Neurology, Sarajevo University Clinical Center in