Health · Public Health & Disease · 8 hrs ago
Stroke rates are rising among younger adults
Stroke is becoming more common among younger adults, even as rates among older people have fallen.
In England, stroke incidence rose among people aged 35 to 54 between 2001 and 2010, and the US has seen a similar increase among people aged 20 to 54.
Many of the risks can be changed, including high blood pressure, smoking, diabetes, high cholesterol, inactivity and poor diet.
High blood pressure alone accounted for almost half of strokes in people aged 55 and under in a large international study.
Stroke symptoms can start suddenly, including a drooping face, weakness in an arm or slurred speech.
Other signs include numbness on one side, vision problems, confusion, dizziness or a severe headache.
Younger people may not recognise the warning signs, and around half of blood-clot strokes in young people have no clear cause; researchers are also studying possible links to air pollution, autoimmune conditions, drugs and stress.
Stroke rates are rising among younger adults even as rates among older people have fallen.
In England, stroke incidence among 35- to 54-year-olds rose by about 2% a year between 2001 and 2010.
Globally, nearly 2.8 million people under 55 had a stroke in 2021, almost 90% of them in low- and middle-income countries.
Modifiable factors including high blood pressure, inactivity, high cholesterol and poor diet are linked to the rise.
Researchers say these factors do not explain every stroke in younger people, and are investigating other possible risks.
- Who
- Younger adults, including people under 55, are experiencing rising stroke rates.
- What
- Stroke incidence is increasing among younger people, while rates among older people have fallen in some regions.
- When
- The article reports trends from 1981 to 2021 and projects a rise in ischaemic stroke rates among 20- to 39-year-olds between 2020 and 2030.
- Where
- The article cites England, Oxfordshire, the US and global figures.
- Why
- Modifiable risks such as high blood pressure and physical inactivity appear to drive much of the rise, but some causes remain unknown.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Stroke rates among people under 55 in Oxfordshire were at a lower level than in 2010–2018.
US stroke rates among people aged 20 to 54 rose from 34 to 62 cases per 100,000 people a year.
Stroke incidence among 35- to 54-year-olds in England rose by about 2% a year.
Stroke rates among people under 55 in Oxfordshire were about 90% higher than in 1981–1986.
Nearly 2.8 million people under 55 had a stroke globally.
Ischaemic stroke rates among 20- to 39-year-olds are projected to rise by about 12%.
- England
- Stroke incidence among 35- to 54-year-olds rose about 2% a year, 2001–2010
- Oxfordshire
- Under-55 stroke rates were about 90% higher in 2010–2018 than in 1981–1986
- United States
- Rates among 20- to 54-year-olds rose from 34 to 62 cases per 100,000 people a year
- Global total
- Nearly 2.8 million people under 55 had a stroke in 2021
- Risk factors
- Ten modifiable risk factors accounted for around 92% of strokes in people under 55
What people are saying
The main symptoms of a stroke can happen suddenly.