Bhilai. While adults over 65 seem to be having fewer strokes, studies suggest that these “brain attacks” may be on the rise in younger adults. What’s more, many doctors don’t recognize stroke symptoms in younger patients, and a delay in diagnosis may lead to more permanent damage. Above 80% strokes go undected during the first or second visits to the Doctor.
People having a stroke who get to the hospital within 4 and a half hours of their attack are eligible to get a drug that can break up a clot in the brain, restoring blood flow. Younger stroke patients are more likely than their older counterparts to benefit from this early treatment. But sadly, only a few get it, because they wait to get to the hospital, writing off early symptoms or waiting to see if they’ll go away before they seek help. This is especially true for women.
Case-1 : That’s what happened to xyz, who suffered a stroke at 24. For 2 weeks, experts chalked up her fatigue, jaw pain, and dizziness to infections, inflammation in her jaw joint, and spinal compression. When she finally collapsed on the floor at home, unable to move her legs, doctors at the local hospital suspected she was abusing drugs and tested her for narcotics, rather than starting the clot-busting drugs that might have prevented permanent brain damage. Today, 6 years later, one of her arms and a foot are still paralyzed. Instead of jogging, she spends hours each day in physical therapy. Rather than high heels, she wears thick-soled sneakers that help to keep her toes from dragging on the ground when she walks.
Case-2 : A schoolgirl’s life was saved when she suffered a stroke – because doctors discovered she had a deadly brain tumour. The girl 15, had been in constant pain for two years and endured crippling headaches and completely lost her appetite. Playground bullies teased her about her shrinking size and a dietitian said she was suffering from an eating disorder. But despite repeated visits to her doctor and specialists, her tumour was only detected after she suffered a stroke and collapsed at home.
A stroke is an event where blood flow to the brain is disrupted, either by a blood clot or bleeding — can be devastating at any age. But when a younger adult has one, they’re affected “in the prime of their life, in their most productive years,” says Nachiket Dixit, Senior Neuro Physician of the steel city.