Most people believe that only older people suffer strokes but this is not the case. Stroke affects several hundred children in the UK every year and up to one in five of these will have more than onestroke. A stroke causes damage to the brain and the difficulties experienced will depend on the part of the brain affected. The majority are left with long-term physical and psychological difficulties which affect their ability to grow and develop and also have a great emotional impact on the child and their family. This project aims to find out whether inflammation or injury of the blood vessels in the brain plays a part in causing childhood stroke. If inflammation proves to be important then there are drugs currently used to treat inflammation (immunosuppressants) which may help children affected by strokes. Dr Eleftheriou also aims to develop specific blood tests to predict which children are likely to have further strokes. This is important because immunosuppressants can have side effects and unnecessary treatments could be avoided in children at lower risk of long-term problems.