Open Your Eyes to Cerebral Venous Sinus Thrombosis (CVST)
Cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) occurs when a blood clot forms in the brain’s venous sinuses. The clot keeps blood from draining out of the brain. As a result, blood cells may break and leak blood into the brain tissues. This causes a hemorrhage.
This chain of events is part of a stroke that can occur in adults and children. It can occur even in newborns and babies in the womb. A stroke can damage the brain and central nervous system. A stroke is serious and needs medical attention right away.
What Causes CVST?
CVST is a rare form of stroke. It affects about 5 people in 1 million each year. The risk for this kind of stroke in newborns is greatest during the first month. Overall, about 3 out of 300,000 children and teens up to age 18 will have a stroke.
Who is at risk for CVST?
Children and adults have different risk factors for CVST.
Risk factors for adults include:
- Pregnancy and the first few weeks after delivery
- Problems with blood clotting such as antiphospholipid syndrome, protein C and S deficiency, antithrombin III deficiency, lupus anticoagulant, anticardiolipin antibodies, or factor V Leiden mutation
- Cancer
- Estrogen-based medicine such as contraceptives
- Collagen vascular diseases such as lupus, granulomatosis with polyangiitis, and Behcet syndrome
- Obesidad
- Low blood pressure in the brain (intracranial hypotension)
- Inflammatory bowel disease such as Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis
- Very rare: Covid-19 adenovirus vaccines
Risk factors for children and infants include:
- Problems with the way their blood forms clots
- Sickle cell anemia
- Chronic hemolytic anemia
- Beta-thalassemia major
- Heart disease, which can be congenital or acquired
- Iron deficiency
- Certain infections
- Dehydration
- Head injury
- For newborns, a mother who had certain infections or a history of infertility
- Very rare: Covid-19 adenovirus vaccines
Symptoms Include:
- Headache
- Blurred vision
- Fainting or loss of consciousness
- Loss of control over movement in part of the body, seizures and coma
If you have CVST, respond quickly to symptoms like headaches, blurry vision, fainting, losing control of a part of your body, and seizures. Contact your health care professional if you have any questions or concerns.
