Cerebral autosomal recessive arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (CARASIL): A rare cause of ischemic stroke in young

Cerebral autosomal recessive arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (CARASIL) is the second known genetic form of cerebral small vessel disease after cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL). It is a very rare single gene disorder affecting cerebral small blood vessels. Diagnosis of CARASIL should strongly be suspected in a young non-hypertensive patient with lacunar stroke in the basal ganglia and brainstem and alopecia limited to scalp.