Obesity crisis sees stroke victims getting younger
New study finds that people aged between 40 and 69 now make up nearly forty per cent of patients worldwide.
According to a new study, strokes are hitting people earlier as unhealthy lifestyles and obesity raise the risk of an attack on them.
New statistics show that the middle-aged, between 40 to 69, make up 38 per cent of stroke victims in the UK alone.
Experts believe older people are more likely to be rushed to hospital because people recognise their symptoms, but this does not happen with the middle-aged because people assume they are too young to have a stroke.
A stroke occurs when a blood clot blocks an artery or there is a major bleed in the head, reducing blood flow to the brain.
High blood pressure, cholesterol and body weight are the main causes – all problems which are on the rise among the middle-aged.
Speaking to MailOnline, Juliet Bouverie, chief executive at the Stroke Association, said that figures show that strokes can no longer be seen exclusively as a disease of older people.
She added, that a lot needs to be done to raise people’s awareness of risk factors and signs of strokes to help prevent them from having a stroke.