While it is rare, parents and healthcare professionals still need to be aware that children can have strokes too, a major conference has been told.

According to research presented at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2014, the warning signs of a stroke in children are similar to those seen in an adult - sudden numbness or weakness in the face, arm or leg, sudden difficulty with speaking, vision problems, dizziness or a sudden headache.

The researchers from Australia interviewed 28 parents of children who had suffered a stroke.

They found that strokes most often occurred at home and while symptoms did not vary depending on the child's age, seizures were more common in younger children.

While most of the parents thought the symptoms were serious, only half called emergency services. One in five decided to ‘wait and see' or they called a relative for advice.

While the average time from symptom onset to arrival at an emergency department (ED) was almost two hours, some took 24 hours.

Previous studies carried out in the UK, the US, Canada and Australia have shown that the average time it takes to diagnose a stroke in a child is over 24 hours.

"Getting to the hospital quickly is an essential first step to develop strategies to improve access to emergency treatment in children," said Dr Mark MacKay, director of the Children's Stroke Program at the Royal Children's Hospital and Murdoch Children's Research Institute in Melbourne.

He noted that children will not receive the benefits of essential clot-busting treatment unless ‘we develop strategies to improve the rapid recognition of childhood stroke'. This treatment needs to be started within four-and-a-half hours of symptom onset, but the earlier the better.

"Child neurologists should educate primary care physicians, paediatricians, heart specialists and emergency room physicians about stroke in children and parents of children with conditions associated with increased risk, such as sickle cell disease or heart conditions, urgently need to be aware," Dr MacKay added.

The conference is taking place this week in San Diego.