Monogenic basis of young-onset cryptogenic stroke: a multicenter study

Background: The prevalence of stroke in young adults is increasing. We investigated the monogenic basis of young adult cryptogenic stroke patients. Methods: This multicenter study enrolled cryptogenic stroke patients under 55 years old, and individuals with nonstroke diseases were included as controls. Targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS) was applied with a custom-designed gene panel that included 551 genes. Rare variants were classified into 2 groups: pathogenic variants and variants of unknown significance. Results: A total of 153 individuals, including 30 (21 males, 70%; mean age 36.1 +/- 10.2 years) in the disease group and 123 (59 males, 48.0%; mean age 40.4 +/- 13.1 years) in the control group, were recruited. In the disease group, 32 rare variants were identified. Among these individuals, 18 pathogenic variants in 16 patients were detected, with a 53.3% (16/30) diagnostic yield of monogenic causes for cryptogenic stroke. None of these mutations were observed in the control group. Among the mutant genes, the most prevalent were Notch receptor 3 (NOTCH3), protein kinase AMP-activated noncatalytic subunit gamma 2 (PRKAG2), and ryanodine receptor 2 (RYR2). Genes associated with cardiogenic diseases showed the highest mutation frequency (10/18, 55.6%) followed by genes associated with small-vessel diseases (SVI)s) and coagulation disorders. None of the patients with mutations had evident abnormalities in the heart or other systems checked by routine tests. For the imaging phenotype-genotype association analysis, infarctions in both the anterior and posterior cerebral circulation were only observed in patients with genes related to cardiogenic disease. Conclusions: In this study, pathogenic variants were identified in nearly half of the young-onset cryptogenic stroke patients, with genes related to cardiogenic diseases being the most frequently mutated. This may have implications for future clinical decision-making, including the development of finer and more sensitive examinations.