More worrisome numbers about strokes striking the young

You've read about this concern here before: People designated as "older" Americans are seeing better numbers in stroke rates, while younger people are seeing a rise.

Now, we get some more solid statistics comparing the "Golden Generation" vs. "Generation X" with a finding of strokes decline in older Americans, rise in young:

"People born during what I call the 'Golden Generation,' 1945 to 1954, had lower rates of stroke than those born 20 years before them and also in the 20 years after them," said lead researcher Joel Swerdel. He is a Ph.D. candidate at the Rutgers University School of Public Health in New Jersey.

People born during "Generation X" -- between 1965 and 1974 -- have a 43 percent higher rate of stroke than those born in the Golden Generation, researchers discovered.

Strokes primarily occur when a blood clot blocks a blood vessel or artery in the brain, starving the brain of oxygen and killing off brain cells in the affected area. It's the fifth-leading cause of death in the United States, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The investigators compared stroke rates for people at the same ages between generations, based on more than 225,000 records of stroke data between 1995 and 2014.

For example, the researchers looked at how many people aged 35 to 39 suffered a stroke between 1995 and 1999, and then stood that up against the number of stroke victims aged 35 to 39 between 2010 and 2014.

The results revealed an ever-increasing rate of stroke in younger generations.

Personally, I'm in between these two generations, but my stroke happened at the young age of 39. And I'm far from alone there. Another excerpt to consider:

When comparing strokes that occurred in 1995-1999 against those in 2010-2014:

Stroke rates more than doubled in people 35 to 39 (a nearly 2.5-fold increase).

Stroke rates doubled in people aged 40 to 44.

Stroke rates increased by about 68 percent in people aged 45 to 54.

Strokes declined in all age groups 55 and older between 1995 and 2014, Swerdel said.

Read the whole story (follow the link above). A good argument for stroke awareness and stroke prevention.