Stroke incidence among adults aged 20 to 54 in the United States nearly doubled between 1993 and 2020. At the same time, more young people are surviving strokes, which may lead to an increase in the number of people living with their long-term consequences. These are the findings of US researchers.
The results of the study were published in the journal Neurology.
The researchers analyzed medical data from residents of the Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky region collected over nearly three decades. They identified more than 2,000 cases of first-ever stroke among people aged 20 to 54.
At the beginning of the observation period, stroke incidence was approximately 34 cases per 100,000 person-years, while by 2020 it had exceeded 62 cases. Person-years take into account both the number of study participants and the length of time they were followed.
Ischemic strokes accounted for most of the increase. They occur when blood flow to a specific area of the brain is disrupted because a blood vessel becomes blocked.
The researchers also found that among young people who had suffered a stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes, atrial fibrillation, and psychoactive substance use became more common over time.
The increase was particularly pronounced in the proportion of patients who used such substances: from less than 5% in 1993–1994 to approximately 40% in 2020. Marijuana use accounted for a substantial part of this increase.
However, the study cannot establish whether these factors were the actual cause of the rise in stroke incidence.
At the same time, mortality within the first 30 days after a stroke declined slightly. According to the authors, this suggests that more young people may be surviving strokes but subsequently facing long-term consequences and disability.
“Although stroke has traditionally been considered a disease of older people, our findings show that it is increasingly occurring among younger adults,” said study author Emily Fisher of the University of Cincinnati.
She said that there is a need to better identify and control stroke risk factors at a young age, as well as to investigate the causes of the observed trend.
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