Idiopathic childhood stroke is associated with human leukocyte antigen (HLA)–B51

Abstract
We report four children with idiopathic stroke syndromes who were assayed for human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I markers and found to have HLA‐B51 in common. This finding suggests that may be a genetic predisposition for “idiopathic” childhood stroke, and host factors, possibly in concert with environmental factors or viruses, may play a major role in the mechanism of unexplained occlusion of the cerebral vasculature in children.