Oct 02, 2015 12:03 PM EDT By Rashmi Kalia, UniversityHerald Reporter

Researchers at the University of California San Francisco have found that the small risk of stroke in children is mitigated when they are properly vaccinated, Huffington Post reports.

The study was published in the journal Neurology. It was led by Dr. Heather Fullerton of University of California, San Francisco.

Unlike the incidence of strokes in adults, in which smoking and poor nutrition play a role, the likelihood of childhood strokes is increased due to genetics.

The increase of ischemic stroke in children is also increased by the incidence of cold, flu and minor infections.

"It is possible that changes in the body as a result of these infections, such as inflammation and dehydration, could tip the balance in a child who is already at a higher risk for stroke," Dr. Jose Biller wrote in an editorial published with the study.

"Parents should not be alarmed if their child has a cold that it will lead to a stroke."

For the study, the researchers studied medical data on 355 children with a median age of 7.6 who had been diagnosed with ischemic stroke. The data was compared with the records of 354 children with a median age of 9.3 who had not had ischemic stroke.

The study showed that children with some, a few, or no vaccinations were seven times more likely to have a stroke than those who received most or all of their vaccinations.

Fullerton said that the reason for the definitive link between vaccinations and stroke is not clear. It could be that vaccines reduce a kid's lifetime infection and therefore prevent the damage that infections and inflammation have on blood vessels.

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