Stroke rate on the rise in younger adults

ALTOONA, Pa. (WTAJ) — While the U.S. stroke rate has declined, medical experts are seeing an increase of young adults experiencing strokes .

Strokes most commonly affect adults age 65 or older, as many as 10% of all strokes occur in younger adults, a rate that is on the rise.

“Unfortunately, stroke is still an aging disease meaning that people are at higher risk of stroke the older that we get. However, lately, we’re seeing more and more strokes in young people and that’s for a variety of reasons,” said Cynthia L. Kenmuir, MD, PhD, chief of neurology at UPMC Altoona,

One potential explanation for the increase in stroke in young adults, according to Kenmuir, is that many do not monitor risk factors as closely as previous generations, including stricter adherence to a healthy diet and exercise routine. But even when some risk factors — like high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes — are mostly managed with medication, they can still be problematic if not monitored carefully.

“With high blood pressure, we hear a lot, ‘Oh, my blood pressure isn’t that bad,’ but the reality is, if the blood pressure is running even 150s, 160s, that’s high enough,” Kenmuir said. “It’s doing damage to the blood vessels in the brain that can lead to a stroke eventually.”

Strokes are not always preventable, so it’s important to recognize the symptoms of one and seek care as soon as they’re identified.

“The problem is that every person’s body is a little bit different. So every minute really counts. So every minute during a stroke, you lose two million brain cells,” Kenmuir said. “They go very very quickly and as such, the outcomes get worse and worse every minute.”

Those symptoms are often remembered through the acronym ‘BE FAST’:

• Balance — A sudden change in balance such as feeling dizzy.
• Eyes — Loss of eyesight or a change in eyesight in one or both eyes.
• Face — Drooping on one side of the face.
• Arm — Tingling in one arm that does not go away.
• Speech — Slurred speech.
• Time — Act fast if you or someone else experiences these symptoms and call 911.

UPMC uses biplane imaging to treat those suffering from a stroke as quickly as possible. The special x-ray machine creates a three-dimensional image of the brain that allows doctors like Kenmuir to quickly clear blood clots causing strokes in a matter of minutes and the patient has shown improvement in cognitive function nearly instantly. UPMC Altoona is the only hospital in Central Pennsylvania with a biplane machine and works in collaboration with other hospitals to treat their stroke patients when needed.

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Kenmuir will be presenting on stroke recognition and healthy modifications you can make to your lifestyle to help prevent strokes at UPMC’s Healthy Living Fair at the Blair County Convention Center Saturday, Oct. 19 from 9 a.m. to noon. The fair is free, open to the public and offering health screenings, discounted blood screening vouchers and preventative health and wellness education.

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