Can you be young and have a stroke

Fortunately, Nick received the treatment he needed in a Providence emergency department and has since recovered. But his story is a reminder of a sobering fact: A stroke can strike anyone anytime — at any age. After age 55, the risk for stroke doubles every decade. Most strokes happen in people who are over age However, a recent article from the American Heart Association reports that older adults have seen a drop in the rate of stroke deaths over the past 20 years, which is good news.

The less encouraging news is that when it comes to younger adults, their stroke-death rates remain about the same and their rates of non-death-related strokes have gone up. A recent study found that among patients aged 20 to 54, when looking at high blood pressure or high cholesterol, the incidents of a certain type of stroke varied by sex and race.

But when focusing on people with obesity or diabetes, strokes took place across all races and sexes in that younger adult age group. Risk factors are defined as conditions or behaviors that take place more often in people who already have a disease or who are at risk of getting a disease. These are some of the risk factors for stroke that can be helped by working with your doctor and making lifestyle changes. These include:. Who Gets Strokes?

What Causes Strokes? Ischemic strokes are the most common type in children. Common signs of stroke in teens : seizures headaches, possibly with vomiting sudden paralysis or weakness on one side of the body language or speech delays or changes, such as slurring trouble swallowing vision problems, such as blurred or double vision tendency to not use one of the arms or hands tightness or restricted movement in the arms and legs trouble with schoolwork memory loss sudden mood or behavioral changes If you have any of these symptoms, see a doctor right away or call If stroke is suspected, a doctor will probably want the person to have one or more of these tests: blood tests magnetic resonance imaging MRI : a safe and painless test that uses magnets, radio waves, and computer technology to produce very good pictures of internal body parts, such as the brain magnetic resonance angiography MRA : an MRI of specific arteries magnetic resonance venography MRV : an MRI of specific veins computed tomography scan CT or CAT scan : a quick and painless test that produces pictures of bones and other body parts using X-rays and a computer computed tomography angiography CTA : an X-ray of specific arteries cranial ultrasound: high-frequency sound waves that bounce off organs and create a picture of the brain spinal tap How Are Strokes Treated?

Treatment for a stroke is based on: the person's age the symptoms which area of the brain is affected how much brain tissue was damaged whether an ongoing condition caused the stroke Many different treatments are possible. For example: Someone who has seizures may need anti-seizure medicines.

Someone with a heart defect might need blood-thinning medicine. For most people, treatment also involves: physical medicine and rehabilitation, or physiatry pronounced: fiz-ee-A-tree. Physiatrists pronounced: fiz-ee-A-trists are doctors who use many different types of therapy to help people recover from a stroke. They work to enhance and restore functional ability and quality of life in people who have medical conditions that affect the brain, spinal cord, nerves, bones, joints, ligaments, muscles, and tendons.

What Problems Can Happen? True or false? Only the elderly are at risk of having a stroke. Stroke can happen at any age, and there are a variety of risk factors associated with having a stroke earlier in life. In fact, many young adults are unprepared when a stroke occurs: They may not recognize its symptoms or seek care in time.

Although the majority of people who suffer a stroke are older than 60, up to 10 percent of all strokes occur in those under age Infants, high school students, and young adults can experience a stroke. A stroke can develop unexpectedly, so make sure you recognize the signs and react quickly.

There are several factors that can cause stroke in young adults. When it comes to stroke, the most common symptoms are the same no matter your age group. That said, there are many factors that determine how well a person will recover, including the amount of brain damage, whether fast recognition and treatment were delivered in a timely fashion, how the brain was affected, the health of the person before the stroke and timely care and rehabilitation.

The good news is that 80 percent of strokes are preventable by making healthier lifestyle changes. One of the most important things you can do to reduce your risk for stroke is maintain a healthy diet and weight. Eating healthy, fresh and unprocessed foods and limiting your salt intake are all associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease. For additional information regarding stroke prevention and stroke care, visit bannerhealth. Or check out these related articles:.