Common causes of stroke in young people

Stroke mistaken for drunkenness

Doctors at the Emergency Department of E Hospital (Hanoi) admitted a 48-year-old male patient (in Hanoi) due to a traffic accident. However, through clinical examination, tests, and brain scan results, doctors determined that the patient had suffered a left cerebral infarction, caused by a blockage of a branch of the left cerebral artery.

The patient had a history of high blood fat, frequent use of alcohol and tobacco. One day before the stroke, the patient had a transient ischemic attack with symptoms of numbness and weakness in one arm and leg, severe headache, dizziness, decreased vision, difficulty speaking... Thinking he was drunk, the patient just rested at home. Then, while driving on the road, the patient had a sudden stroke, falling into a dangerous state, unable to control his reflexes when participating in traffic.

When there are signs of suspected stroke, the patient needs to go to a medical facility as soon as possible.

"Fortunately, the patient was taken to the hospital and intervened in time during the "golden hour", minimizing dangerous complications caused by stroke," said Master - Doctor Nguyen Ngoc Vinh Yen, Emergency Department - Hospital E.

Reason

The Stroke Center - Bach Mai Hospital has received 6 consecutive stroke cases of young people (under 45 years old). On average, the center receives about 50 stroke cases per day. Among the young stroke patients, there is a 32-year-old male patient (in Hanoi) who was transferred by his family in a state of disturbed consciousness and left hemiplegia.

"This is a severe stroke case, the patient suffered a cerebral infarction due to a blockage of a large blood vessel, which nourishes half of the cerebral hemisphere. If this vessel cannot be cleared, the patient will likely not survive," said Dr. Nguyen Tien Dung, Deputy Director of the Stroke Center - Bach Mai Hospital.

According to the Stroke Center - Bach Mai Hospital, stroke in young people often has accompanying diseases such as a history of cardiovascular disease. The 32-year-old male patient mentioned above had cardiovascular disease (arrhythmia) and was prescribed medication by a specialist, including anticoagulants, but the patient stopped taking the medication on his own when his condition stabilized.

Dr. Nguyen Tien Dung said: "Regarding stroke in young people, we have recorded two groups of diseases: cerebral hemorrhage and cerebral ischemia." In young patients with stroke due to cerebral hemorrhage, the cause is high blood pressure. In young patients, cerebral ischemia is often caused by latent atrial fibrillation that has been hidden for a long time but not detected. Or stroke in young people is caused by vascular malformations that have not been diagnosed early.

According to Dr. Dung, young people are often subjective, have an unbalanced diet and lifestyle, smoke, drink a lot of alcohol, or stress are factors related to increasing the risk of stroke. Obesity and lack of exercise also contribute to the alarming rate of stroke in young people today. Therefore, to prevent stroke, young people need to maintain a reasonable weight, avoid being overweight or obese, and maintain appropriate physical activity.

In case of suspected stroke, patients need to go to a medical facility as soon as possible, because every second, every minute that passes, millions of neurons are irreversibly lost. "The sooner reperfusion treatment is done, the better. The longer it takes, the more brain cells will not recover, will be lost, causing the patient to become disabled," Dr. Dung noted.

Recognize the signs of a stroke

Atrial fibrillation, hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, and coronary artery disease are the main factors that increase the risk of stroke. In addition, people with a history of stroke or transient ischemic attack also have a very high risk of stroke recurrence. Stroke in young people tends to increase alarmingly, accounting for about 25% of stroke cases.

The golden time for stroke treatment is 4 - 6 hours, so early recognition of stroke symptoms is extremely important.

People with stroke often experience conditions such as:

Feeling off balance, staggering.

Partial or complete blurring or loss of vision.

Face is unbalanced, one side of the face is sagging, philtrum is crooked.

Body tired, no strength, difficulty in movement, paralysis on one side.

Voice changes, difficulty in pronunciation, unusual lisp.

When you see someone with the above symptoms, immediately call the emergency number 115 or take the patient to the nearest medical facility for timely emergency care.

(Source: Department of Medical Examination and Treatment Management, Ministry of Health)

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/nguyen-nhan-thuong-gap-gay-dot-quy-o-nguoi-tre-18524111717160155.htm