This retrospective analysis identified 131 patients aged 15–45 years discharged from Middlemore Hospital, Auckland, from June 1 2004 to December 31 2009 with a discharge diagnosis of ischaemic stroke. Stroke of undetermined aetiology was the most common TOAST subtype (53.4%), mainly due to incomplete investigation. Cardioembolism (16%) was the second most common cause of stroke, followed by small vessel disease and stroke of other determined aetiology (both 12.2%). Confirmed large vessel atherosclerosis (6.1%) was the least common cause of stroke. The most common risk factors were hyperlipidaemia (45.8%), hypertension (42.7%), current tobacco smoking (42.7%) and obesity (36.6%). The highest rates of stroke were seen in Māori and Pacific Island people, over 20 per 100,000, more than twice that of other ethnicities. The in-hospital fatality rate was 3.1%. All surviving patients were discharged home. Eighty-six percent of the survivors were independent
