Rate of strokes increasing among youth, study finds

The rate of strokes among young adults has increased significantly in recent years, according to a study by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, and some experts say the increase could be caused by the unhealthy lifestyles led by many college students.

The CDC study, which used hospital records in 41 different states, found that in recent years, strokes have increased by roughly 51 percent in men and 17 percent in women between the ages of 15 and 34.

Studies have not formally explored why the rate of stroke hospitalization has increased, but Henry Huang, director of the lipid clinic and assistant professor of clinical medicine in the department of cardiology at USC’s University Hospital, said the increased rate might be the result of unhealthy habits.

“It could be that what’s driving this increase are increased rates of obesity and related lifestyle factors like smoking, drugs and heavy alcohol use,” Huang said.

Signs of a stroke include sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, difficulty with speaking or understanding, trouble seeing in one or both eyes, dizziness and an intense headache with no known cause, according to the American Stroke Association.

The study found that stroke rates are decreasing among older age groups, but did not offer any reasons as to why the findings show increased risks among younger age groups and decreased risk in older age groups.

“For a stroke to happen in a young, college-aged person is something that is uncommon, but it is not unheard of,” Huang said.

Lawrence Neinstein, executive director of the University Park Health Center, said USC sees a very small number of students with strokes.

“We have not noticed an increase in recent years,” Neinstein wrote in an e-mail. “The Times article that referenced this was also referring a lot to young adults in their 30s and 40s, which is more reflective of our graduate population or older graduate population, not the majority of our student body.”

Amytis Towfighi, a chair and assistant professor in the department of neurology, said she also believes the obesity epidemic is contributing to the increase in the number of young adult stroke hospitalizations.

“In fact, currently, two-thirds of the U.S. population is overweight/obese, and rates of obesity among children have increased,” Towfighi wrote in an e-mail.

Some students, however, say the demands of college life preclude a healthy lifestyle.

“College students especially sleep much less,” said Mallika Gunupati, a sophomore majoring in architectural studies. “Whenever I get the chance, I eat. Whenever I get the chance, I sleep.”

Other students, however, make sure to engage in healthy behaviors to decrease their risk of poor health effects.

“I make an effort to eat healthy and exercise regularly because it’s good for your health physically and mentally,” said Mason Khoo, a freshman majoring in kinesiology. “A lot of people these days just eat a lot of junk food and sit around without getting any exercise.”

An unhealthy lifestyle, however, might not be the only reason for the increased rate of strokes.

“It may also be possible that the data’s showing increased rates of stroke in younger people because over the last decade or so there has been more awareness, increased rates of diagnosis and better imaging technologies,” Huang said.

Students should educate themselves so they will be able to recognize the signs, Towfighi said.

Candice Navi, an undeclared freshman, said she finds the study results to be scary, but not shocking.

“It’s really concerning, but in a lot of ways unsurprising because people our age are expected to do more earlier and there’s a lot of stress in that,” Navi said.