The American Heart Association (AHA) recently released a Rapid Access Journal report that highlights the steep rise in stroke rates among Danish young adults between the ages of 15 and 30.
Data pinpoint the increase from 1994 to 2012. During that time, significantly more young adults in Denmark received hospitalization care for transient ischemic attacks (TIA) and first-time strokes than ever before.
Experts attribute the rise to higher rates of obesity and diabetes throughout the population. American researchers say that the trend and its consequences are also applicable to the U.S., as it has high obesity and diabetes rates, as well.
“Stroke and transient ischemic attacks rarely occur in the young but may have a profound and long-lasting impact for the individual if they do,” Maiken Tibaek, lead author of the study, said. “Compared to elderly individuals, strokes in the young may have greater economic impact because it impairs the ability to work during the most productive years of life.”
Health experts are using this as an opportunity to remind people that they need to live healthier lifestyles.
“For health care providers and patients, this study confirms the importance of focusing on prevention and addressing lifestyle-related risk factors to prevent stroke,” Tibaek said. “It’s also important that clinicians who see young adults with symptoms of stroke are aware that stroke is not that rare a diagnosis in younger adults.”
