It’s seen as a condition that mainly affects the elderly, but increasingly, doctors in the city say, strokes are being seen in patients below the age of 40, many times with debilitating consequences.
And the scary part? Not many people know about this or realise that immediate medical attention is crucial. A stroke occurs when blood supply to the brain is interrupted due to a clot or when a blood vessel is ruptured. A 2013 study by the Indian Stroke Association revealed that less than 14 per cent of Chennai residents knew a stroke could occur without any pain and less than 8 per cent knew drugs had to be administered within 4 hours to avoid brain damage or death.
“In the late 1990s, the number of patients we saw below the age of 35 was only 3 to 4 per cent. Now, however, it has doubled to 8 to 10 per cent,” said M. Balamurugan, senior consultant neurosurgeon, Apollo Hospitals.
“Uncontrolled diabetes, hypertension, lack of exercise, stress, bad food habits that young children are exposed to and excessive smoking and drinking are all risk factors for a stroke,” he said, adding that drugs that many students take to help them stay awake to study were also known to precipitate strokes.
With increased obesity and high cholesterol and the rates of cardiac disease rising among the young, doctors say they have even had patients who are as young as 28 or 29. A genetic predisposition may also put Indians at a higher risk of stroke, said K. Ganapathy, former president, Neurological Society of India. He added that one in five stroke patients was now between the ages of 30 and 50.
“Many young people just do not realise they are having a stroke. When they experience numbness or difficulty in speaking or using their limbs for a few minutes, they brush it off, not realising it was a stroke. It could have been a minor stroke but later, a major one could occur so it is vital to get checked out,” said C.U. Velmurugendran, chairman and director of the neurology department, Sri Ramachandra University.
At Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital between 10-15 per cent of stroke patients are below the age of 40, said K. Banu, professor of neurology at the hospital.
“It is crucial to seek help at a facility that can treat strokes within 4 hours as both survival rate and disability rate are far better then. At GH, we administer free thrombolysis – drugs to break up or dissolve the clot. Seek medical attention even if you suspect a stroke. It is better to err on the side of caution,” she said.
The tragic part, doctors say, is that while many young patients recover, some are left with a disability that lasts all their lives, need to be on medication and sometimes cannot go back to their regular jobs.