Recent studies show. that stroke in younger persons IS mcreasmg, most especially among young persons below 45 years. Even though the overall rate of stroke is decreasing, it is increasing for young and middle-aged people. 

For instance, findings show that about 10 per cent of the 800,000 strokes that happen in the U.S each year strike adults younger than 45. 

A stroke can be described as an event where blood flow to the brain is disrupted, either by a blood clot or bleeding - can be devastating at any age. But when a younger adult has one, it can be more devastating because they're. affected "in the prime of their lives, in their most productive years, and it is usually very hard on. I them," said Dr Tomi Alegbe. Though for most young people stroke seems like impossibility, there is no such thing as being too young for stroke. Your stroke risk increases with age, but stroke in young people does happen, including infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. In general, however, most experts consider a young stroke age to be under 45. 

How stroke in younger people is different Stroke in people under age 45 requires a different approach to treatment and management because you need to look for different causes. 

"Compared to stroke in older people, stroke in the young is a different beast," says S. Ausim Azizi, MD, head of the Neurology Department and professor of neurology at Temple University Medical School in Philadelphia.

All stroke is caused by decreased blood supply to the brain. In older adults, the most frequent cause is a blood clot that forms inside the heart or a blood vessel, breaks loose, and travels to the brain. This type of stroke is called an ischemic stroke1 In children, however, common causes include infections, trauma, heart disorders, sickle cell disease, and dehydration. 

"Cardiogenic causes account for more strokes in young adults. Another cause to watch out for in young people is drug use, especially intravenous drugs," says Dr. Azizi. Cardiogenic causes may include rheumatic heart disease, heart valve abnormalities, and being born with a hole between the right and left side of the heart, called patent foramen ovale. 

''Up to 25 per cent of stroke under age 45 is caused by a dissecting blood vessel in the neck. 

This is a small tear in a big blood vessel that causes a clot to form and travel to the brain. Other stroke causes that have been linked to younger stroke age include migraine, pregnancy, birth control pills, and smoking," says Dr. Russman. 

Factors that may leads to stroke Obesity is number one factor of stroke; if you are obese, you are more likely to be hypertensive or diabetic. "Many young people in our country don't watch what they eat now; they eat junk processed food instead, they rarely exercise, instead of them taking a walk, they will rather take a bike and exercising helps a lot, if your work is such that you sit in a place for too long, try and devise a means of moving around," Dr. Alegbe said. 

Obesity is on the increase and that also increases the lifetime of stroke. Obesity increases the risk for high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes. Also, the young people of these days tend to get stressed up with the everyday activities around them, they get stressed at the work place and even sometimes at home, so high blood pressure is on the high side and so if you have high blood pressure, it means you are prone to stroke. 

Prevention strategies for stroke at any age include: 

• Work with your doetor to identify underlying diseases. 

• Exereise regularly and maintain a healthy weight. 

• Eat a diet low in saturated fat and high in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. 

• Start eontrolllng high hlood pressure and high eholesterol at an early age. 

• Reeogn1se and eontrol diabetes. 

• Avoid alcohol, drugs, and smoking 

• Recovery in young people 

One of the big differences between old age stroke and stroke in young age is recovery. Stroke in young people can mean a lifetime of recovery and a loss of many productive years. 

"About 15 to 30 per cent of people who have a stroke have some long-term disability. The good news is that a 30-year-old has a better rate of recovery than an 80-year-old because of better brain plasticity," says Russman. 

That's the brain's ability to adjust and learn new skills. A review article on ischemic stroke recovery in young adults, published in the journal Stroke Research and Treatment, found that recovery is much better for younger people than for older adults. 

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