We tend to consider strokes as something that happens in old people. It will be more accurate to state "older" since the cut-off is all about age 55. Strokes do occur more frequently in adults 55 and older. But, while strokes are decreasing among the elderly, the numbers are rising in those aged 20 to 54. In a recently published study, the percentage of strokes in adults younger than 55 rose from 13% in 1993 to 19% in 2005. That 6% difference might not appear to be much, but in real numbers it indicates one more 47,700 relatively young people having a stroke each year. Consequently the common age of men and women in the analysis having their first stroke fell from 71 in 1993 to 69 in 2005.
Consider this... based on the American Stroke Association, 795,000 Americans suffer strokes annually. That means that in ตรวจโรคหลอดเลือดสมอง 151,050 of the strokes occurred in someone between the ages of 20 and 54. How come this number rising?
One reason is that as medical technology improves, we can diagnose more strokes. Sometimes an individual may only have a vague sense of not feeling well. In the past a doctor asked plenty of questions and then examined you from visit foot. He or she determined what was wrong with you and, more frequently than not, was right. But a vague sensation of not feeling well and a tiny stroke with a standard examination may be very hard to diagnose. Nowadays a doctor asks questions and does an examination but now we have CT scans and MRIs. We order a brain CT in someone with that vague feeling and see a stroke, the place where brain cells are injured, dying, or dead. That is an individual whose stroke might not have been diagnosed before CT scans were available. So our new equipment helps us find more strokes. Unfortunately, that is merely a small part of the answer. There really are more strokes occurring in younger adults. But why?
We take it for granted that young people are healthy. Their bodies haven't had time to produce real problems and so, when a stroke occurs, it must signify something is extremely wrong. In adults younger than 45, trauma is the most common reason behind stroke. It accounts for around 22% of strokes in this age group. With hemorrhagic strokes, where there's a blood vessel rupture and bleeding, the next probably cause is arteriovenous malformation. That is an abnormal collection of arteries and veins that the person is born with. Lupus, certain cancers, illicit drugs like ecstasy, cocaine and amphetamines, some blood diseases including sickle cell disease and thrombocytopenia. They're merely a several conditions that can increase the risk of stroke in the young. Women may have strokes associated with contraceptive pills. About 5% of strokes in young women occur after having a baby.
Strokes in young people can also be brought on by the exact same factors that cause strokes in older adults. And that is the problem. The number of strokes in young adults is increasing because people are developing those stroke risk factors at younger ages. More young adults, and even children, are overweight. Some are obese. Many have high blood pressure and diabetes. Increasing numbers have high cholesterol and smoke cigarettes. Most strokes occur after someone has already established those risk factors for a lot of years. These traditional stroke risk factors are present at earlier ages and so, the effects are occurring at younger ages.
Smoking is an essential and modifiable risk factor. It's accountable for a higher percentage of strokes in young adults than in older adults. With all that we've learned all about smoking and its contribution to cancer, heart attacks, lung diseases, etc. why does anyone occupy this habit? How do anyone afford it?
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