In your thirties and forties, you may start to lament your first gray hairs, your more frequent back aches, or your slowing metabolism, but the notion of possibly having a stroke is likely not even close to being on your radar. A stroke can happen at any age, even in childhood. In 2009, one third of patients who were hospitalized by stroke were younger than 65, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
A stroke is a brain injury caused by not enough blood getting to the brain, according to Dr. Brockington. This deprives the brain cells of oxygen, essentially causing them to die off. There are a number of reasons this can happen, and not all of them are linked to age. There are two main kinds of strokes: ischemic and hemorrhagic. An ischemic stroke is the most common and is the result of a blocked blood vessel; a hemorrhagic stroke happens when a blood vessel ruptures.
Dr. Brockington is a neurologist and director of the Stroke Center at Mount Sinai St. Luke’s and Mount Sinai West Hospital in New York City.
References
American Stroke Association. (2017). Risk Factors for Stroke.
American Stroke Association. (n.d.). Types of stroke.
Bejot, Y, et al. (2016). Rising stroke incidence in young adults: more epidemiological evidence, more questions to be answered. Journal of the American Heart Association.
Brain Aneurysm Foundation. (n.d.). Brain aneurysm statistics and facts.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2023). Facts About Hypertension.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2023). Stroke facts.
Mozaffarian, D, et al. (2015). Heart disease and stroke statistics—2015 update. Circulation.
Talahma, M, et al. (2014). Sickle cell disease and stroke. Stroke.
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