More and more stories about younger stroke victims

From entertainer Bret Michaels and Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden to countless others, story after story of late shows that strokes can often happen to the under-50 crowd:
 

Is Beau Biden too young to have a stroke? Sadly, no:

Dr. Irene Katzan, director of the Primary Stroke Care Center at the Cleveland Clinic, told Newsweek that given Biden's quick recovery, he likely suffered an ischemic stroke, in which an artery to the brain somehow becomes blocked, cutting off blood flow and oxygen supply. (A more serious form of stroke occurs when a blood vessel breaks completely, and blood seeps into the brain.)

At 41, the Delaware attorney general doesn't seem like someone who is at high risk of a stroke: according to the American Heart Association, more than 75 percent of stroke victims in the U.S. are 65 or older. But Katzan says it's not unheard of in a younger man.

 From delawareonline.com | The News Journal:

"There's a common misconception that stroke is a condition only of the elderly," said Matarese, also the medical director of the stroke center at St. Mary Medical Center in Langhorne, Pa. "In fact, it can affect anyone, including young adults. There are young, otherwise seemingly healthy adults who have had them and, in many times, the cause of their stroke is not the more commonly seen problems that we see in older individuals."

There were 1,163 men between 35 and 44 who died of stroke in 2006, the most recent year in which data is available, according to the federal National Center for Health Statistics.

Former "Miss Arizona" suffered stroke at 26:

Leean Hendrix was featured speaker at a conference titled, "Stroke: It's Not Just an Old Person's Disease" at Forrest General Hospital.

Hendrix suffered a massive stroke at the age of 26 after injuring her ankle while jogging. She says she still hasn't fully recovered.

Drawing hope after stroke:

The backing of family and friends is crucial, survivors say, but there's nothing like talking to someone who has lived through the terror of stroke.