More millennials are having strokes

Is a stroke tsunami heading this way? That's one thought expressed in this piece on how more millennials are having strokes:

Although many of the details are murky, the potential impact is clear: In the short term severe strokes among younger adults are a big problem because disability in people in their peak earning years can severely impact their families and future lives, Elkind says. Longer-term, more strokes — even relatively mild ones — among younger adults are worrying because they portend an upcoming epidemic of worse attacks in another 30 years (since survivors’ second strokes are more likely to be stronger and potentially fatal). “We are just seeing those little waves hitting the beach now but that tsunami will come in the future,” says Elkind, who notes that risk factors such as obesity and smoking are cumulative over time.

Unsettling numbers: Stroke rates and young people

This topic really hits home for me. I was under 40 when mine happened. Despite that, there's a general assumption that strokes happen only to the elderly.

But yet another study shows stroke rates appear to be rising steadily in young adults:

"Most people think that having a stroke is something that only happens to older people, but the impact of stroke is significant — it is uniquely complex in younger adults, in midst of careers, serving as wage earners and caregivers, who may suffer disability that can impact their lives and the lives of family members and loved ones," George said.

Aphasia hits young people differently than seniors

Stories about aphasia speak to me.

And stories about young people - I was just 39 - who have had a stroke also interests me. Further - and play the audio at the bottom of this posting - music and aphasia intrigue me.

Now, those three items have come together in a story about as strokes become more common in younger population, intense programs to reteach speech grow:

“We are seeing more younger people with aphasia attending our program,” said Leora Cherney, the director of the Center for Aphasia Research and Treatment at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago.

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.

America's Stroke Belt and stroke risk factors

Do you live in the "Stroke Belt," or generally the southern/southeastern United States, plus Indiana?

Stroke risk factors - which we've talked about lately, are a big part of the problem. And strokes can hit young people, too, especially in the Stroke Belt. I ran across this story from Memphis about an unlikely stroke victim:

She blacked out. When she came around, her left side was going numb.

Myth No. 3: Strokes are just for elderly people

I was 39. And I'm not the only one, not by far - scores of people younger than me have had strokes. Thus another installment of the occasional series about myths about strokes.

Strokes do not recognize your age. It can happen to the young or the old. Check out the chilling facts about how hospitalizations are rising quickly among younger adults:

Because strokes are most often associated with old age, symptoms in younger adults are often overlooked, according to patients, advocates and physicians. And their need for rehabilitation – to return to active lives as parents and employees, for instance – can be underestimated.

Warning to the young - strokes can strike younger adults

Today, I'm the oldest I've ever been.

But my stroke happened at the young age of 39. And while that happened in 1998, it seems that since 2000, we're seeing a troubling rise in strokes in young adults, starting at age 25:

There's a troubling statistic in the United States when it comes to strokes.

Although stroke hospitalizations have declined in recent years among the aged, the opposite appears to be be happening among younger Americans. In a study released Wednesday in the Journal of the American Heart Association, researchers found that between 2000 and 2010, hospitalizations for ischemic stroke, the most common type, dropped nearly 20 percent overall — but among people ages 25 to 44, there was a sharp 44 percent increase in the rate.

Stroke stats can be confusing - but many strokes can be prevented

News about strokes in the United States is mixed bag these days. Fewer hospitalizations. Fewer total rates. Higher rates among young people. Increases in some stroke risk factors.

And not all of those issues are answered - just speculation about, for example, why young people are seeing an increase in strokes.

One obvious item is stroke prevention, especially for those changeable lifestyle behaviors that could really reduce risk. Check out this piece about different populations and stroke prevention:

Young and old: Do you know what to do?

I was 39 when my stroke hit, and I freely admit that I knew very little about strokes at the time.

And people in that age bracket have strokes every day. And that numbers have been going up.

It's disheartening to hear, then, how most young adults are not stroke savvy:

When asked what they would do if experiencing the hallmark symptoms of stroke, only about one in three people under age 45 said they would very likely head to the hospital.

Pot: Stroke related? Researchers seeking answers

For the complex human brain, there are few simple answers out there. This includes answers about stroke causes and risks, depending on type of stroke, age and other factors.

Now, there's more research on marijuana use, specific type of stroke and age:

Photo from National Library of Medicine

A team led by Dr. Valerie Wolff, at the University Hospital of Strasbourg in France, examined 334 patients younger than 45 who suffered an ischemic stroke -- an attack caused by blocked blood flow to the brain. Fifty-eight of the patients were marijuana users.

The study couldn't prove that marijuana caused strokes, but Wolff's team did find some differences in stroke characteristics between pot users and non-users.

Young stroke survivor finds strength in determination

Photo from the U.S.
Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention

Are we all destined to run after a stroke? No. BUT, I still like stories like this because they do illustrate that after a stroke, determination is often key.

If you've visited this blog before, you'll know that was a runner before my stroke in 1998, started running again several weeks later, and continue to run. People, though, have different outcomes - physical, speech, vision, etc. - and not everyone can run. In fact, as the last post noted, stroke is the most common cause of permanent disability in the United States.

But the story is more than running. It's about a stroke survivor who found strength, a story that can echo in other lives. People might have different levels of abilities and strengths, different disabilities, different challenges. The important thing is to keep those challenges challenged.

So, here's a link, an excerpt and a video about a young stroke survivor finds strength in running:

Stroke risk rises for those in their 20s

This article (see link below) begins with a story of a 26-year-old man who had a stroke. Mine happened at age 39 (in hindsight, I now consider that to be young).

The story highlights that the odds of stroke rise sharply among young people:

Although stroke has long been considered an illness of advanced age, statistics show a startling demographic reversal in recent years. Even while strokes are on the decline in older adults, decreasing by more than 25 percent for people older than 45, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention figures, the chances of stroke have soared alarmingly among people in early adulthood and middle age.

From 1994 through 2007, CDC research shows, the rate of ischemic stroke jumped by 47 percent for men ages 35 to 44 and 36 percent for women in the same age group. For men in their early 20s, the number of stroke-related hospitalizations rose by more than 50 percent during that period.

What do to? Follow stroke prevention guidance, and know the signs. Even if you are young - or surrounded by those who are young.

Listen and learn, young people ...

A cautionary tale ... .

Young people - that is, people under 45 - can have strokes, too. In fact, it happens too often. Mine happened at age 39.

Ran across a recent story quoting an expert saying that patients under 45 years of age often miss stroke symptoms:

Neil Schwartz, M.D., Ph.D., says strokes are not uncommon in younger patients.

"We do see 10 or more percent of strokes occurring in younger patients under the age of 45," says Schwartz.

In fact, a new nationwide study found that while the incidences of stroke has dropped by nearly half over the last two decades, most of that improvement was in patients over 65 years old. Researchers believe some younger patients may not have seen the improvement because of an increase in risk factors like obesity and diabetes.

So even if you're young and active, know the stroke signs and don't be afraid to act!

Time for younger set to start taking care

Once again, we're seeing more concerns about young people and stroke risk. for older people, the rate of stroke is declining. For people younger, there seems to be trouble. Read this article how stroke incidence is down and survival up -- for some:

These stroke incidence data appear to reflect both positive and negative trends in stroke prevention and treatment over the last few decades, Koton said.

Photo from U.S. Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention

On the plus side, increased use of statins and hypertension medications and a dramatic decline in smoking may largely explain the lower stroke rate among people over the age of 65, while the rise in obesity and diabetes in younger adults could explain the lack of progress in reducing stroke incidence in younger adults, Koton told MedPage Today.

"More younger adults are obese, and when obesity increases so does hypertension and diabetes," she said. "Hypertension is the main risk factor for stroke. I think this is a warning sign for us to take these risk factors as seriously in younger people as we do in older people."

Yes - time for ALL ages to take stroke risk factors SERIOUSLY.

Young stroke outcomes: A key reason for stroke prevention

This is one reason why stroke prevention is so important: Strokes subtract years from lives. Tragically, that's especially critical among the younger stroke survivors (mine was at 39).

Read about recent research showing that mortality is high after an early stroke:

The mortality rate of people who survived at least a month after having a stroke at age 15 to 49 was 15.7% over a mean 10 years of follow-up and 23.0% cumulatively with up to 17 years of follow-up, Karoliina Aarnio, MD, of the Helsinki University Central Hospital, and colleagues found.

That rate was seven-fold higher than that of the age- and sex-matched general population, they reported in the September issue of Stroke. ...

"The high mortality rates and the striking impact of recurrent stroke on the risk of death should lead to development of more robust primary and secondary prevention strategies for young patients with stroke," they argued.

Stroke prevention, racial disparities and younger patients

Stroke prevention is important! If a stroke doesn't happen, then treatment is not necessary. Therapy for recovery is not necessary. And quality of life remains.

So a recent story highlighted not just one, but two issues - racial disparities and strokes for those under 65. The story is about how rising stroke rate for blacks in South Carolina, study finds:

Photo from U.S. Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention

They found that stroke hospitalizations among blacks younger than 65 jumped by more than 17 percent, but remained stable for whites younger than 65.

Blacks appeared more vulnerable to stroke at younger ages, too. According to the study, slightly more than half of the blacks hospitalized with stroke were younger than 65, compared with 30 percent of whites.

The study was published June 19 in the journal Stroke.

"Excess strokes among blacks, as well as the lingering racial disparity in the younger groups, represent a serious public health issue," lead author Dr. Wayne Feng, a stroke neurologist at the Medical University of South Carolina Stroke Center in Charleston, said in a journal news release.

Young does not mean invincible

Young doesn't mean you're stroke-proof.

I was a young 39 when mine happened. While most strokes happen to older people, a growing number of young people are having strokes, and this recent article shows that young doesn't mean invincible when it comes to strokes:

Strokes sounds like an old folks' problem, but they hit young people, too. And they don't all shake it off. One-third of people who had a stroke before age 50 are struggling with disability and loss of function nine years later.

Many of those people aren't able to live independently or need help with everyday tasks, such as managing their finances or personal care, a study of young stroke survivors finds. About 1 in 8 wasn't able to live independently.

The last sentence of that excerpt (you should read the whole article) is sobering. A stroke can rob a young person of his or her independence.

It's vital to know the stroke signs or symptoms and get help quickly. For the young, old and in between.

Shingles and stroke risk

I've never had shingles and hope to never experience that ailment. Like most of you, I know people who've had shingles and have heard horror stories.

But is the disease a sign for future stroke risk? This recent article cites research that younger adults who've had shingles may face higher stroke risk:

From the National Institutes of Health

Adults who get shingles after 40 don't have an increased risk of stroke. But along with those who had shingles before 40, they do have a higher risk of heart attack and "transient ischemic attack" (TIA), sometimes called a mini-stroke, the study authors said.

"In those aged less than 40 years at the time of herpes zoster, the risk of stroke, TIA and [heart attack] occurring in the years following was significantly higher than in [people without the infection]," said Dr. Judith Breuer, study lead author and a professor of virology and head of infection and immunity at University College London, in England.

"Herpes zoster is also more common in individuals who have risk factors for vascular disease, including diabetes and [high blood pressure]," Breuer said.

Now, this is not designed to add to someone's anxiety (see a couple of posts before) but rather give a heads-up to take action to avoid the risk factors Breuer cites.

Worldwide, strokes hit more people, many younger

One of the missions of this blog is to highlight stroke prevention. Every stroke prevented is a win. However, recent numbers show that stroke prevention has actually lost some ground - in the global perspective, at least.

A recent report shows that stroke numbers are up worldwide:

In 2010, there were 16.9 million people who had a first stroke, 33 million stroke survivors, and 5.9 million people who died from a stroke -- increases of 68%, 84%, and 26% respectively since 1990, according to Valery Feigin, MD, of the Auckland University of Technology in New Zealand, and colleagues. ...

What's more, there was a 25% ... increased incidence of stroke in those ages 20 to 64. At the end of the study period, 31% of first strokes occurred in people younger than 65, up from 25% in 1990. ...

Feigin and colleagues wrote that "these findings suggest that stroke should no longer be regarded as a disease of old age."

Read the entire article for more details. One comment especially touches on good common sense: reduce hypertension and unhealthy lifestyle.

Stroke prevention reminder for Stroke Belt folks

I spent my youth (and many adult) years in the Stroke Belt (Arkansas), and mine came a little over 15 years ago, also in Arkansas.

Does living in Arkansas (or other Stroke Belt states) guarantee a stroke? Of course not. But during Stroke Awareness Month, a reminder that taking stroke prevention measures can't start too soon.

Click here to read how teen years put the "Stroke" in "Stroke Belt":

Overall, the strongest predictor of stroke risk was the proportion of one's entire life spent in the so-called stroke belt, which encompasses much of the Southeast. After adjustment for other stroke risk factors, though, the proportion of adolescent years in the stroke belt remained the only significant predictor, increasing stroke risk by 17%.

"Our data suggest that living in the stroke belt during adolescence may contribute to the higher stroke mortality in the stroke belt, and the harmful effects associated with living in the stroke belt may be greater for black than white subjects," Virginia J. Howard, PhD, of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and co-authors concluded in the April 30 issue of Neurology.

"Improvement in childhood health circumstances should be considered as part of long-term health improvement strategies.""