EBV Infection May Be Unrecognized Trigger of Ischemic Stroke in Young Adults

Background: Ischemic stroke in young adults requires a broader etiologic evaluation than in older populations, because traditional vascular risk factors may be absent. Infectious processes are recognized as contributors to cerebrovascular events through mechanisms including inflammatory vascular injury, endothelial dysfunction, and transient hypercoagulability. Epstein–Barr virus (EBV), a ubiquitous herpesvirus most commonly associated with infectious mononucleosis, has rarely been reported in association with acute ischemic stroke. Recognition of infectious triggers is important when evaluating cryptogenic stroke in younger individuals. Case Report: A 36-year-old woman presented with onset of right-sided weakness, sensory disturbance, dysarthria, and expressive aphasia. Neurologic examination demonstrated deficits with a National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score of 10. CT angiography demonstrated a partially occlusive thrombus involving the superior division of the left middl more...