Stroke Incident Rates for Young Adults Increasing
In a
study of the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky region, researchers found
that the rate of strokes among adults younger than 55 years of age increased
from 12.9% in 1993/1994 to 18.6% in 2005.
Stroke
incidence rates in people aged 20 to 54 were significantly increased in both
black and white patients in 2005 compared with earlier periods. The
investigators also found that the mean age at stroke significantly decreased
from 71.2 years in 1993/1994 to 69.2 years in 2005.
Possible
explanations for the increase could be that physicians are detecting strokes in
young people more often, both as a result of better imaging technology and more
vigilant screenings, says a Reuters Health article.
"But I
really don't think that's the major reason," lead researcher Brett Kissela
told Reuters. "We're definitely
seeing a higher incidence of risk factors for stroke now."
With people
developing obesity, diabetes, and high blood pressure at a younger age, they
also are increasing their risk of stroke at a younger age.
"This
is of great public health significance because strokes in younger patients
carry the potential for greater lifetime burden of disability and because some
potential contributors identified for this trend are modifiable," the
authors write.
The study is published in Neurology.