ABSTRACTBACKGROUND: Previously referred to as rare in the population of young adults, in Brazil in the last five years a frequency found approaching 30 % of young adults between those who have suffered a stroke. OBJECTIVE: To identify the sociodemographic, clinical and functional characteristics of young adult patients. METHODS: It was a cross-sectional study, conducted with individuals assisted in a stroke unit with ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke diagnosis and age of 18-50 years old between

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... ust 2014 to April 2015. It was used the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), and the modified Rankin Scale (mRS). RESULTS: The study population consisted of 47 individuals, 28 (59,6%) were female, Average age 39,2 (DP±8,3) years old, brown skin color, 21 (44,7%). They had time in education of 8,9 years. With 28 (59,6%) patients were diagnosed with ischemic stroke, 30 (63,8%) had involvement of the anterior circulation, 23 (48,9%) the left hemisphere. 26 (55,3%) patients having Hypertension and was sedentary, 36 (76,6%).The stroke severity had a median of 7 ( 0-23 ) points and the functional capacity of patients was Rakin Scale 5, 30 (63,7%) . It was found a statistically significant difference for hypertensive etiology of hemorrhagic stroke in men ( p = 0.047) when compared with gender and the stroke of occurrence of the right hemisphere in women (p=0,032). CONCLUSION: The profile of the young adult patients from a stroke unit are females , of brown skin color, in socio economic activity with moderate stroke severity and severe functional disability