The typical stroke patient is over 70 years old. However, the proportion of significantly younger Affected has been increasing for years. Blame an unhealthy life style. But then there’s the stroke that hits young, healthy people out of the blue.
If parts of the brain are not sufficiently supplied with blood and oxygen, suffers the Affected person to have a stroke. More or less large areas of the brain lose their function. The consequences are usually appearances of semi-paralysis that can range from the face to the tips of the toes, and rarely go back. In the worst case, the Central life functions are affected and the stroke is fatal.
Mainly the fatal circulatory disorder occurs in the brain only in old age, as a result of vascular calcification (Ateriosklerose). The majority of patients have vessels the typical risk factors for clogged blood: Obesity, Smoking, high blood pressure.
Approximately 30,000 stroke patients in Germany are under 50
In recent years, physicians observe more and more that people suffer under the age of 50 have a stroke. This so-called juvenile stroke hits, every year, up to 30,000 women and men in Germany.
Part of this blow back attacks to an unhealthy lifestyle: lack of exercise and being Overweight since Childhood, Smoking, in women, in combination with the anti-baby pill, not ignored or unknown high blood pressure.
The particularly Frightening in the juvenile stroke: some of these Affected are slim, athletic, non-Smoking – so healthy and fit until the Moment they strike.
German scientists, under the leadership of Lars Kellert, a senior physician at the Stroke Unit (special Department for stroke), the University clinic of Munich, engaged in an overview of work with the stroke patients between 18 and 55 years of age.
None of the classic risk factors present
You have calcification or even heart rhythm disturbances played vessel as a trigger of stroke. Until about 40 years ago, the cardiovascular risk factors increased significantly. The younger stroke patients, however, were hardly known to, or believed that it would apply to you.
As is typical for young stroke patients is that the doctors can find for 30 to 50 percent, no specific cause for the consequences, the rich supply of the brain.
In approximately 25 percent of the events, a blood clot is to blame, swept over the heart in the direction of the brain (cardiac embolism).
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A tear in the neck artery without warning
At 20 percent of the blow of very young people to experience a “spontaneous dissection” is undetectable, a splitting of the inner wall of the neck artery that supplies the brain. Between the inner and middle layer of the vascular wall is a kind of cul-de-SAC is formed, here the congestion of blood. A hematoma is formed and clogged the vessel. So it comes to a heart attack.
The spontaneous dissection can meet both people who move little and eat poorly, fit, seemingly healthy people. A quick, violent movement – such as sports – can trigger the rupture of the artery. Through this experience a person has reported, in a guest post for FOCUS Online. Meike Mittmeyer-Riehl had suffered while playing tennis a dissection. In most patients, a daily life motion is also sufficient to allow the vein to tear.
Whether there is a congenital weakness of the connective tissue, by inflammatory processes, weakened vessel wall or any other cause of the dissection is to blame, is unknown.
A further ten percent of strokes in younger years of work go back to the Overview to rare causes such as vasculitis or Thrombophilien.
Young stroke patients recover faster
Essential in the case of a stroke, the quick care in a Stroke Unit, so in the case of clinic specialists in stroke.
Because that’s the good news: For the fastest possible treatment, the stay can be consequences, very often, prevent. The young age is a great advantage. Younger patients usually recover faster and more fully from the stroke than old. In 30 percent of young stroke patients, the symptoms go completely.
According to Kellert, a juvenile stroke ends only five percent of the Affected deadly. In older patients, 30 percent do not survive the stroke. However, scientists have also found that only 40 percent of young stroke patients can return to their old workplace, and a third remains disabled.
