In the general population, there is limited awareness of stroke symptoms and limited recognition of stroke as a disease affecting all ages. Prior studies demonstrated that young adults present late to medical attention, have lower initial NIHSS, and are frequently misdiagnosed. 

This is a retrospective cohort study including patients ages 18 and older hospitalized with a diagnosis of acute ischemic stroke (AIS), transient ischemic attack (TIA), or nontraumatic intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) between 1/2016-12/2016. Covariates included fluctuation of deficits, whether the chief complaint was a focal or non-focal neurologic symptom, and whether there was progression of deficits within 24 hours of symptom onset. Covariates were compared between young and older adults with Fisher’s exact test and Chi-square test.