Association Between Self-Perceived Stress and Cryptogenic Ischemic Stroke in Young Adults: A Case-Control Study.

Background And Objectives: Psychosocial stress is a potentially modifiable risk factor of early-onset ischemic stroke, with limited evidence suggesting a stronger association between stress and cryptogenic ischemic stroke (CIS) compared with strokes of known etiology. We aimed to explore the association between self-perceived stress and CIS, with subgroup analyses stratified by sex and age.

Methods: Young patients aged 18-49 years with a first-ever CIS and sex-matched and age-matched stroke-free controls from 19 European centers were included.