World Stroke Day: Stroke Cases Are Rising Among Youngsters At An Alarming Rate- Dr. Karthikeyan

Stroke is no longer a common disease among old age people as it is getting more common in people above the age group of 25. Due to unhealthy lifestyle, it is getting common amongst youngsters as well. According to the World Stroke Organisation (WSO),13 million people suffer from stroke every year, and that too 5.5 million people die annually from it. Meanwhile, one person gets a stroke attack in India every 40 seconds.

The WSO established October 29 as World Stroke Day to raise public awareness regarding the rapid increase in stroke rates and measures to be taken to seek a healthy lifestyle.

What causes Stroke?

A change in lifestyle is the main reason for higher stroke cases nowadays. Speaking to The Logical Indian, Dr. Karthikeyan, a top neurologist in Chennai, said: "10 years back, the risk of stroke is restricted towards the age group of 35 and above. But due to lifestyle changes, people above the age group 25, around 40 percent are suffering from strokes."

The most common reasons why an individual can suffer a strike attack are stress, deprivation of sleep, eating more packaged and junk food, alcohol consumption, smoking, etc. All these are the main reasons behind the higher stroke cases in youngsters.

According to statistics, 53 percent of youngsters consume packaged food every day. The intake of junk food and packaged food is very common due to workload, and shortage of time.

As per a global survey, India is ranked among the most unhealthy countries for consuming packaged foods. Youngsters, due to work pressure and less time, consume packaged food more often which is not good for their health.

There are two types of strokes, one is blood clot formation and the other one is due to bleeding in the brain.

'Every Minute Is Precious'

Dr. Karthikeyan then went on to explain the time of a stroke attack and said, "Stroke attacks generally happen late night or early mornings. Family members know the usual talking and walking style of each other. When all these signs get unusual it is a sign of stroke."

"Every minute is precious. Only a single-minute delay in treatment can ruin a person's life drastically. What happens when a person crosses the age of 25 the data your brain has processed is the information collected in the last 20-25 years. When a person gets a minor stroke attack, the chances of losing memory are quite less if identified earlier. If somebody gets a stroke immediately rushing to the hospital as early as possible is the primary way of getting it cured earlier," he added.

According to American Stroke Association, Stroke Signs are abbreviated as BE FAST!

B - Balance

Not able to balance while walking.

E - Eyes

If the person started facing blurry eyesight, or double vision, or not able to see.

F - Face Drooping

One side of the face started drooping. You can easily recognize the sudden change in facial expression

A-Arm Weakness

Sudden drooping of arms or not able to move normally.

S - Speech Difficulty

Slurring of speech, Loss of speech, Not able to swallow anything are the signs.

T - Time to call 911

While different countires have different emergey numbers, but once an indivdual suffers any of the symptons it's time to rush to the hospital without any delay.

What changes in lifestyle can prevent the risk of stroke among youngsters?

Amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, working from home culture has increased massively due to social distancing norms. According to research, approximately 1.41 percent of people suffer from high levels of stress compared to working from an office. Furthermore, physical activity among individuals has been decreased as well. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), people between the age of 18-64 should work out at least for a one-hour daily.

Speaking on the topic of consumption of junk food, Dr. Karthikeyan said: "There is no universal diet that can be proved for everyone. As the amount of work done by every person is different so the diet should also be."

He also suggested some measures for everyone and suggested getting regular blood pressure check-ups and basic medical check-ups. Individuals who are above the age of 35 should get their cholesterol level check-up regularly, he added.

Dr. Karthikeyan then went on to list some common tips everyone can follow:

1. People should start having more fruits, veggies, and nuts more in their diet. The more intake of dietary fiber and carbohydrates in our diet the much healthier life you will live. Carbohydrate acts as fuel for your body so even if you are on a diet don't reduce carbohydrate intake much.

2. Doing meditation, daily workouts, and a 40-50 minute walk at least 4-5 times in a week is going to prove as a boon for your health.

3. For non-vegetarians, white meat and egg are much more preferable. Also, boiled fish- which is rich in Omega 3 fatty acids- is good for your health.

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