GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — More people are having strokes at a younger age. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there is a nearly 15% increase in stroke rates for people ages 18 to 44. Between ages 45 and 64, it's up nearly 16%.
Jordan Taylor, a neurologist at University of Michigan Health-West, said it comes down to an increase in other risk factors.
"So, high blood pressure, obesity, cholesterol, issues, those are all significantly on the rise in that younger population," said Taylor. "And that's really where we're seeing this increase in stroke in that younger group."
This is something he has also seen in his 14 years working in West Michigan.
Taylor said it is important to learn about both stroke prevention and the symptoms.
"If you're not really thinking of your cardiovascular stroke risk, you're not really thinking about prevention," said Taylor.
Prevention includes managing a healthy diet, regular exercise, keeping regular sleep, managing stress, not smoking and more.
The warning signs and symptoms of a stroke can be remembered with the acronym: "BE FAST."
- Balance: sudden loss of balance or coordination.
- Eyes: sudden vision changes.
- Face: drooping or numbness on one side of the face.
- Arms: weakness or numbness in one arm.
- Speech: slurred speech or difficulty talking.
- Time: time to call 911.
"Moving away from this traditional thinking that stroke is something that you're going to have to deal with later in life," said Taylor, "To thinking about, well, this is actually something that could affect me much sooner."
