Why do millennials have so many strokes?

By Ross Pomeroy for RealClearWire

Strokes usually strike older people. The average age of the devastating condition — when the blood supply to a part of the brain is blocked or a blood vessel in the brain bursts — is about 71.4 years for men and 76.9 years for women. Millennials, however, are starting to bring those averages down.

Now aged 27 to 42, millennials are experiencing strokes at higher rates than their ancestors did at the same age, reversing a 40-year decline in stroke deaths. Between 2003 and 2012, according to CDC researchers, stroke rates increased 32% among women ages 18 to 34 and 15% among men of the same age.

when Scientific American Analyzing the data further, they found that the increase was mostly concentrated in the West and Midwest, where stroke rates among young people rose by 70% and 34%, respectively, with increases especially steep in urban areas. Now, one in ten people with a stroke in the US is under the age of 45.

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Younger stroke victims

There are many possible explanations for this disturbing trend. Increasing stress, falling physical activity levels and fewer doctor visits among millennials all play a role. However, one narrative rises to the fore.

As cigarette use in the US has fallen from about 45% in the 1950s to just 12.5% ​​in 2020, all Americans have collectively benefited from less smoke in public places, which has manifested itself in lower rates of lung cancer, heart disease, and more. and stroke.

But since the 1970s, the public health benefits of reduced smoking have been eroded by rising obesity and its associated health complications.

Childhood obesity is particularly harmful in relation to early stroke, and millennials are the first generation to be truly affected by this alarming trend. Childhood obesity rates have tripled from 5% in 1978 to 18.5% in 2016, burdening more children with related conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure, which can lead to stroke.

There is good news. Thanks to improved medical care, stroke death rates have dropped significantly between 1975 and 2019, from about 65% for hemorrhagic stroke (caused by a burst blood vessel) and 80% for ischemic stroke (caused by a blockage of a blood vessel).

And with greater brain plasticity, young people are more apt to recover. Still, strokes can leave millennials with permanent complications such as occasional seizures, incontinence, cognitive impairment, impairments and muscle control, not to mention a severely elevated risk of a future stroke.

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Increased strokes aren’t the only health issue millennials are battling. Rates of many cancers, especially those associated with poor diet, are increasing among people under the age of 50.

Diet and exercise

The best solution to reversing the rise of early stroke is for millennials and future generations to eat right and exercise, especially from a young age. Schools and parents play an important role here. Obesity can be hard to break if it takes hold at a young age, but if healthy lifestyle habits are instilled early, it will become second nature.

Syndicated with permission from RealClearWire.

This article was originally published on Big Think.

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