Key Takeaway:
- Stroke rates more than doubled: Incidence among adults ages 20-54 rose from about 34 to 62 per 100,000 people annually.
- Risk factors increased: Hypertension, diabetes, atrial fibrillation, and substance use became more common among younger adults with stroke.
- Prevention remains key: Researchers stress blood pressure control and screening for stroke risk factors among younger adults.
Stroke Rates in Younger Adults nearly doubled among U.S. adults ages 20 to 54 from 1993 to 2020, driven largely by ischemic strokes as several vascular risk factors increased, according to a University of Cincinnati study published Sept. 23.
Researchers analyzed 2,076 first-ever strokes recorded in the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky region across six study periods. The incidence rate among younger adults rose from 33.9 strokes per 100,000 person-years in 1993-94 to 62.2 in 2020, while stroke incidence declined among older adults.
Ischemic Strokes Drive The Increase
The increase in Stroke Rates in Younger Adults appeared to be driven by ischemic stroke, which occurs when blood flow to part of the brain is blocked. Its incidence nearly doubled, rising from 23.8 per 100,000 person-years in 1993-94 to 47.3 in 2020.
The study also found that hypertension, diabetes, atrial fibrillation and substance use became more common among younger adults who experienced strokes. However, the researchers said the study cannot establish that these factors caused the increase in stroke incidence.
David Robinson, an assistant professor of clinical neurology and rehabilitation medicine at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and a study author, said the findings could have lasting consequences for younger patients.
“This has major implications, since young people who develop disability from a stroke may no longer be able to work or provide for their families,” Robinson told Fox News Digital.
The researchers also found that 30-day survival improved. The share of younger adults who died within 30 days of a stroke fell from 11.7% in 1993-94 to 9.4% in 2020, with the decline primarily occurring among patients with bleeding-related strokes.
Younger Adults Face Recognized Risk Factors
Dr. Jason Gluck, vice chair of the Heart & Vascular Institute and system chief of cardiology at AtlantiCare in New Jersey, said stroke remains uncommon among younger adults but can still occur.
“The concerning findings in this particular trial are that stroke rates are moving in the wrong direction for the younger population,” Gluck told Fox News Digital. He was not involved in the study.
Gluck said risk factors such as high blood pressure, diabetes, smoking, obesity, abnormal cholesterol, and low physical activity can contribute to stroke at younger ages.
“Vascular disease doesn’t suddenly begin when you’re 65; it develops over time,” he said.
Robinson said prevention remains important because surviving a stroke does not eliminate the possibility of long-term disability. He pointed to blood pressure control, healthy eating, physical activity, tobacco cessation, adequate sleep, weight management, cholesterol control and blood sugar management as components of cardiovascular health.
Researchers Note Limits Of The Study
The researchers cautioned that the study does not fully explain the increase in Stroke Rates in Younger Adults. The analysis did not include comparable risk-factor data for people who did not experience strokes, making it difficult to determine which factors contributed to the trend.
Changes in medical documentation and diagnostic technology over nearly three decades could also have influenced the findings. Increased use of MRI scans, for example, may have improved stroke detection, while changes in reporting could have affected recorded substance-use rates.
The study covered five counties in the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky region, so its findings may not represent every U.S. community. The research was published in Neurology on Sept. 23.
