Younger adults are seeing a recent rise in stroke rates, with one in seven strokes now occurring in patients under 50.
After shoveling and carrying heavy groceries, a young woman begins to feel dizzy and unsteady. Noticing one eyelid drooping, she heads to the emergency room. Although her CAT scan appears normal, further tests reveal high blood pressure and a blood-vessel blockage caused by a dissected carotid artery. At just 30 years old, she has suffered a stroke.
This recent case, shared by Dr. Paul Lleva, Director of Stroke Services at White Plains Hospital, highlights a growing concern: the rise in stroke rates among younger individuals.
Nearly 800,000 people have strokes in the United States each year. Most occur after the age of 65, but new data suggests one in seven strokes now occur in adults ages 15 to 49. Furthermore, a report from the Centers for Disease Control shows a concerning 15% rise in strokes among adults under 65 over the past decade, while rates for seniors have remained consistent.
“Many health issues are now occurring at a younger age,” says Dr. Ivo Bach, a Neuro-Endovascular Surgeon and Vascular Neurologist with White Plains Hospital Physicians Associates. Young adults have seen recent rises in obesity, high blood pressure, and diabetes, as well as opioid use — all factors experts say likely correlate to the rise of strokes. “A lot of it boils down to lifestyle — health, exercise, diet,” says Dr. Bach. “Those are modifiable risks we can alter or stop to prevent strokes.”
For patients under 50 who are active, trauma is often the cause of the stroke. Sports injuries and accidents that twist or jerk the neck can tear arteries, creating clots that may break off and block blood flow to the brain. Updated protocols for such injuries have also led to increased identification of stroke.
“In the old days, if someone was playing football, how many of those kids were brought to the hospital after neck injury? How many were scanned with vascular imaging? Probably only a few,” Dr. Lleva explains. “Now, more patients are screened following traumatic incidents and that is one reason why we are seeing this trend.”
White Plains Hospital offers the most comprehensive treatments for patients of all ages suffering a stroke. In the cases of a dissected carotid artery, the specialized team performs advanced stenting procedures to restore blood flow. During an ischemic stroke, where a blood clot interrupts blood flow to the brain, the team performs a mechanical thrombectomy. Time is of the essence, as with each passing minute, about 1.9 million brain cells die, increasing risk for impairment, disability, and death.
A mechanical thrombectomy is the gold standard for stroke care and is a minimally invasive procedure in which specialty trained physicians thread a catheter to the brain to remove clots. Last year, White Plains Hospital received a Thrombectomy-Capable certification from The Joint Commission, indicating that it meets rigorous standards for performing endovascular thrombectomy and providing post-procedural care. “It means if you come to the Hospital for stroke care, we have a specialized team which is ready 24/7 to provide the most advanced care,” Dr. Bach says.
Learn more about Stroke Care at White Plains Hospital.
Dr. Paul Eugene P. Lleva is the Director of Stroke Services at White Plains Hospital. To make an appointment, call 914-849-4800.
Dr. Ivo Bach is a neuro-endovascular surgeon and vascular neurologist with White Plains Hospital Physician Associates (WPHPA), with offices in our WPHPA Neurosurgery & Neuro-Endovascular Surgery location in White Plains. To make an appointment, call 914.849.5300.