Doctor points out the reason why young people have strokes

According to specialist doctor Ta Vuong Khoa, Deputy Head of the Department of Neurology, Military Hospital 175 (Ho Chi Minh City), on average, for every 4-5 stroke patients admitted here, there is 1 case of young people (stroke in people under 45-50 years old).

Dr. Khoa said that in the world, the number of young people suffering from strokes has also increased gradually over the past 30 years. An important part of the cause comes from increasing work pressure, unreasonable rest, and unscientific diet and exercise.

This condition leads to a number of diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and dyslipidemia that are increasingly occurring in younger people, which are also classic risk factors for stroke.

Dr. Khoa said that the classic cardiovascular risk factors associated with increased stroke risk in the elderly are also present in young people, only differing in proportion. If high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes are the three leading risk factors in the elderly, in young people, the risk factors are smoking addiction, dyslipidemia, and high blood pressure.

This doctor cited a European study of 3,944 young stroke patients showing that 49% were addicted to smoking, 46% had dyslipidemia, and 36% had high blood pressure. Diabetes has a limited association with stroke in young people, perhaps because the disease has not had enough time to damage target organs.

Some other risk factors that are only found or are more common in young people are pregnancy, taking birth control pills, alcohol and drug abuse, and obesity.

To prevent stroke, Dr. Khoa said that young people need to establish a comfortable living environment both mentally and physically, and have a scientific diet such as reducing salt, reducing starch, reducing fat, increasing green vegetables and fruits. In addition, it is necessary to maintain physical exercise, quit smoking, limit alcohol, and not use drugs.

In addition, it may be necessary to change birth control methods if there is a suspicion that the medication being taken is related to stroke, and it is important to be aware of the importance of regular health check-ups.

"Reality shows that many young people are quite subjective, not paying attention to their medical history. Only when they have a stroke and are hospitalized are they surprised to hear the doctor inform them that they have had high blood pressure and diabetes for a long time," said Dr. Khoa.

Stroke, also known as cerebrovascular accident, occurs when a blood vessel in the brain is blocked or ruptured, resulting in disability or death. In 2015, 6.5 million people worldwide died from stroke and it is predicted that by 2030, this number will be 7.8 million.

In Vietnam, each year about 200,000 people have a stroke and about 20% of them die.