In recent years, more adults between the ages of 45 and 64 have been dying from strokes, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Experts say stroke occurs when blood-flow to the brain is blocked or there’s sudden bleeding in the brain. “Unless treated quickly, it can lead to lasting brain damage, long-term disability or death,” they warn.
According to the National Institutes of Health, the current prevalence of stroke in Nigeria is 1.14 per 1,000, while the 30-day case fatality rate is as high as 40%. “Management of the disease is largely conservative, while there is little or no funding for high-quality research,” NIH notes.
Experts note that there could be a few explanations for the increasing cases of stroke in the population.
One of the reasons is an increase in stroke risk factors — especially high blood pressure.
The World Health Organisation states that although Nigeria is yet to conduct a nationally representative survey since 1991/1992 to obtain recent Non Communicable Diseases (NCDs) risk factor data, a systematic review and meta-analysis of NCDs and its risk factors was carried out in 2018. The review estimated the prevalence of hypertension in Nigeria to be 31.2% (men 29.5%, women 31.1%).
Physicians warn that underlying conditions like diabetes, obesity and hyperlipidemia (aka high cholesterol) have increased among middle-aged adults, as have poor lifestyle habits such as alcohol use, unhealthy diets and physical inactivity — all of which are typical risk factors for stroke.
These risk factors over time lead to atherosclerosis, which is a common cause of stroke in older patients. However, doctors say they have seen an increase in these same risk factors leading to stroke in younger patient population.
“An increase in risk factors can lead to more and bigger strokes — which in turn can lead to higher mortality and morbidity,” Dr. Fan Caprio, a vascular neurologist at Northwestern Medicine, warns.
One of the most notable risk factors behind the rise is hypertension, or high blood pressure, Caprio says.
“Hypertension, which is the most important stroke risk factor, has increased among middle-aged adults,” says Adam Vaughan, an epidemiologist; adding that more than half of middle-aged adults with hypertension have “uncontrolled hypertension” — meaning their high blood pressure is untreated or not responding to treatment.
Dr. Mona Bahouth, medical director of the Brain Rescue Unit at Johns Hopkins Medicine, adds that what can make high blood pressure so dangerous is the fact that it’s “fairly silent.”
“You don’t really feel that you have high blood pressure until you’ve had it for a while and it’s too late, unless you’re measuring it,” she notes.
Also, those who neglect to visit hospital or regularly miss doctor appointments risk developing stroke.
Vaughan points out that socioeconomic disparities could also be at play. “Many people in this age group might have limited access to health care, leading to undiagnosed or not controlled risk factors, and delayed treatment in general,” he says.
Worse is the fact that many people don’t recognise stroke symptoms!
Stroke can be mistakenly viewed as a “disorder of the elderly.” As such, when a middle-aged person starts to develop symptoms of a stroke, those symptoms might be dismissed and medical attention delayed until it’s too late, Caprio says.
Experts say it’s imperative that people of all ages recognize the telltale signs of stroke, which include:
- sudden weakness or dizziness
- sudden numbness, especially on one side of the body
- sudden trouble speaking or understanding speech
- sudden severe headache
If you notice these symptoms, visit the hospital immediately.
“Fast treatment can not only be life-saving but also lessen the likelihood of brain damage brought on by stroke and prevent another stroke from occurring.
With reports from Yahoo Life
