Do you know that more Millennials are having a stroke?

It is pretty common to see the occurrence of stroke in patients that are 60 years of age and above; but do you know that based on studies in the U.S.; more than 10% of stroke patients are below the age of 45. As a mater of facts, other studies shows:

From birth to age 19, there are nearly 5 strokes for every 100,000 children.
Stroke in all people under 45 ranges from 7 to 15 per 100,000.
There has been a 32% spike in stroke cases among 18 to 34 year old women and a 15% increase for men in the same range.

The most common symptoms of stroke, including loss of speech, facial droop, and weakness on one side of the body are the same in this younger age group as those in the older age group. Other symptoms can include vision loss, double vision, slurred speech, dizziness, or difficulty walking.

About 80-85% of all strokes at any age are caused by a clot blocking blood flow in the brain. This is called an ischemic stroke. The first line of treatment for stroke in the young is the same as stroke in the older population.

If no other health conditions are present that might interfere with stroke recovery, younger people tend to recover better from stroke damage than older people. Recovery in young people may also continue for a longer time period.

Doctors believe that improved recovery may be connected to the younger brain’s natural ability to use undamaged brain circuits to take over the functions of damaged circuits. In older patients, that brain plasticity may be reduced, but recovery does continue.

Neurologist will commonly recommend the following stroke prevention strategies for young people: