It was previously assumed that older people only suffer from stroke. However, nowadays, this perception has been proven wrong as heart attacks and brain strokes among young adults aged less than 40 are increasing at an alarming rate globally. The prevalence of stroke among young adults aged between 18-44 years old has grown by around 14.6 per cent, making today’s younger generation to be concerned regarding their health conditions.
Incidents like brain strokes, which happen due to the disruption of blood flow in the brain, are also found to be becoming a global burden for the younger generation. An unhealthy lifestyle, hypertension, smoking, increasing substance usage, and high cholesterol are some of the major factors heavily contributing towards the rising occurrences of cardiovascular disease among people under 40.
Reasons for stroke among young adults
Smoking and substance usage
The younger generation is highly found to be addicted to smoking. Around 28.6 per cent, which is equivalent to 267 million adults aged more than 15 years, are habitual to tobacco usage. This may be for several reasons, including social learning, family conflict, educational stress and many others. Smoking cigarettes means breathing a toxic mix of more than 7000 chemicals, which adversely impact the body parts.
Smoking contributes towards making major changes in the blood chemistry and disturbs the smooth blood flow by creating a blockage, which increases the chances of heart attack. It has been found that cigarette smoking is accountable for one in five deaths due to cardiovascular disease. Moreover, it is also evident that younger people who are associated with substance usage have a higher possibility of contracting cardiovascular disease.
Unhealthy lifestyle
Today’s generation is found to be living the most unhealthy lifestyle nowadays. Most of the young people are involved in the consumption of unhealthy fast processed foods which consist of high sugar and salt. These types of foods increase the level of cholesterol in the blood, type 2 diabetes, and obesity, which contribute towards the occurrence of cardiovascular disease among people. Furthermore, a major proportion of the younger generation engage themselves in front of the screens either for work purposes or entertainment while they are less active in regular physical exercises, which causes several health problems.
Hypertension
Mental health problems like stress, anxiety, and nervousness are increasingly prevalent among young adults. Work pressure, tension related to academic activities, family problems, unhealthy lifestyles and many others are the pivotal reasons for the rise of mental health problems or hypertension. When a person experiences excessive stress, then the human body has been seen to release certain hormones which prevents the normal activities of the blood vessels and arteries, resulting in the development of a situation linked to cardiovascular disease.
Family strokes history
A person has the possibility to experience cardiovascular diseases if there is any previous family stroke history. Therefore, the genetic relationship can define the level of these problems. Having a family stroke history with primarily male relatives under 55 age and female relatives under 65 age relatives can significantly contribute towards similar kinds of diseases among their family members, even among young adults.
Comparison between young males and females
Young males are found to be experiencing more of this type of problem in comparison to young women. The risk factors lead to gender differences in the occurrence of these problems. The prevalence of this global burden among young males is high because of risk factors like unhealthy lifestyles, excessive consumption of alcohol and smoking. On the other side, young women may be subjected to confront this disease because of the usage of hormonal birth control procedures or pregnancy. Therefore, these gender specific risk factors must be taken into consideration while taking any preventive measurements against stroke.
How to recognize the symptoms of stroke
Though the disease is regarded as the fifth major cause of death, there is still less awareness among the people of its symptoms. In this regard, the short form BE FAST is used for the recognition of its symptoms and what procedures need to be taken at that time. BE is the acronym for balance and eyes. It means the symptoms can be spotted by recognising whether an individual is suddenly struggling to make balance or coordination and whether the person is suddenly experiencing vision problems.
On the other side, the full form of FAST is face, arm, speech and time. According to this, the symptoms can include face drooping, feeling weakness in the arms or facing difficulty to speak properly. In recognition of any of these symptoms, active instant initiative should be taken to call 911 and get the sufferer hospitalised.
Prevention ways
Engaging in fitness activities
Doing regular exercise is the key to living a healthy life and having fewer health problems. According to the American Heart Association, performing 150 minutes of moderate levels of health exercises in a week is accountable for the reduction of brain stroke or heart disease.
Consuming healthy diet
A healthy lifestyle and diet can provide numerous advantages in terms of fewer health problems and feeling refreshed. Maintaining a healthy diet in terms of consuming fruit, fresh food, and other nutrition-filled foods can be beneficial for keeping cholesterol balanced, reducing stress and anxiety, and maintaining appropriate blood pressure and sugar which contribute towards preventing heart attacks.
Regular checkup
It is important for individuals, including young people, to be involved in regular health checkups to remain updated with their current health conditions and take required advice from healthcare professionals.
Quitting smoking and alcohol consumption
Individuals who are addicted to the consumption of tobacco or alcohol need to make efforts to quit these habits to remain healthy. It may be difficult for individuals to keep them away from these habits at a time suddenly. Therefore, they should try gradually by taking some time to leave these habits.
Remain informed about family stroke history
Though genetics can not be changed, having an awareness of them can allow one to incorporate essential preventive methods at the initial time for addressing the occurrence of potential issues.
FAQ
1. Why are stroke cases rising among young adults?
The alarming increase in cardiovascular diseases among people under 40 can be attributed to several factors, including unhealthy lifestyles, smoking, substance abuse, hypertension, and family history.
2. How can I recognize the symptoms of a cardiovascular disease?
Remember the acronym BE FAST to identify cardiovascular disease symptoms: Balance difficulty Eyes, sudden changes in vision, facial drooping, Arm weakness, and slurred speech. If you suspect the symptoms, call emergency services immediately.
3. What are the preventive measures for cardiovascular disease in young adults?
To reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, adopt healthy habits like maintaining a balanced diet, exercising regularly, managing stress effectively, quitting smoking and substance abuse, scheduling regular health checkups, and knowing your family history.
4. Are there specific risk factors for young women and men?
While both young men and women can experience cardiovascular disease, there are some gender-specific risk factors. Excessive alcohol consumption, smoking, and unhealthy lifestyle choices can increase the risk for young men. Hormonal birth control and pregnancy can elevate the risk of cardiovascular disease in some cases for young women.
5. What is the prevalence rate of tobacco consumption among young adults?
Around 28.6 per cent, which is equivalent to 267 million adults aged more than 15 years, are habitual to tobacco usage.