Why are young people also suffering from strokes? And in increasing numbers?

According to statistics, my country is one of the countries with the highest incidence and mortality of stroke in the world. However, people generally believe that cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases are geriatric diseases and only the elderly will suffer from such diseases. This is a wrong concept. In the past decade, the incidence of stroke in young people worldwide has increased by 50%, and it has become the top 5 cause of death among people aged 15-59.

Stroke: also known as stroke or cerebrovascular accident, is a group of diseases caused by various reasons that prevent blood from flowing into the brain and cause brain tissue damage. It includes ischemic (commonly known as cerebral infarction) and hemorrhagic (commonly known as burst blood vessel) stroke, which in turn produces corresponding manifestations of brain nerve dysfunction, such as coma, dizziness, headache and other symptoms. It has a high mortality and disability rate and is the "number one killer" that seriously affects people's physical health and quality of life.

Risk factors

Related studies have shown that more than half of young stroke patients have traditional risk factors for cerebrovascular disease: long-term dyslipidemia, lack of exercise, obesity, smoking, drinking, hypertension, heart disease, family history of stroke, diabetes, etc. are the main risk factors for stroke in young people, among which dyslipidemia, lack of exercise, obesity and smoking are the most prominent problems [7, 8].

How to identify stroke early?

In July 2021, the Chinese Stroke Society released the "BE FAST formula" for identifying early symptoms of stroke. The first five letters each represent an early symptom, and the last letter is a reminder to call the emergency number and seek medical treatment immediately if you find any symptoms of stroke:

"B" - Balance refers to loss of balance or coordination, sudden difficulty walking;

"E" - Eyes refers to the eyes, sudden changes in vision, difficulty seeing;

"F" - Face refers to the face, which is asymmetrical and has crooked corners of the mouth;

"A" - Arms refers to sudden weakness or numbness in the arms, usually on one side of the body;

"S" - Speech refers to language, speaking unclearly and being unable to understand others' language;

"T" - Time refers to time. The above symptoms indicate a possible stroke. Please do not wait for the symptoms to disappear on their own. Call 120 immediately for medical assistance.

【Questions and Answers】

1. After using the BE FAST principle to judge, if a stroke is suspected, who should you call first?

A. Family and friends ×

B. Relatives and friends working in the hospital ×

C. 120 √

If you suspect a stroke, please call 120 immediately! Enter the stroke green channel for emergency treatment.

2. Which of the following is a so-called "home emergency remedy"?

A. Antihypertensive drugs

B. Aspirin×

C. Angong Niuhuang Pills×

None of the above is correct! These so-called "home emergency medicines" are actually not needed! Correct approach: 1. Do not feed food, medicine, water, or bloodletting with your fingertips while waiting for the ambulance, so as not to aggravate the condition! 2. Make the patient lie flat, turn his head to one side, clean the foreign objects in the mouth, keep the airway open, and wait for the ambulance!

Treatment for stroke?

The best time to treat acute cerebral infarction is the time window. Currently, the time window for intravenous thrombolysis is 4.5 hours after onset. Carrying out intravenous thrombolysis, blood cupping therapy and other programs within the time window is the most effective treatment measure!

2. How do stroke patients rehabilitate?

The three months after a stroke are the golden period for rehabilitation treatment. After formal and systematic rehabilitation treatment, 60% of patients can take care of themselves in daily life. Therefore, early and standardized stroke rehabilitation is of great significance!

Prevention of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases should start from young people. Young people should pay more attention to cardiovascular health and improve their bad living habits. People with underlying diseases and family history should have regular physical examinations and check the carotid artery ultrasound to see if there is intimal thickening or plaque formation, so as to achieve early detection and early treatment. At the same time, we should also do a good job in the publicity of stroke screening and education to raise residents' awareness of stroke, reduce pre-hospital delays, and gain more time for treatment.