Posted: Thursday, February 27, 2014, 4:00 PM
THURSDAY, Feb. 27, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- One-third of people who suffer strokes before the age of 50 will have trouble dealing with the challenges of daily life even several years later, a new study finds.
The finding suggests that younger age provides only limited protection against the devastation of a stroke.
While strokes are much rarer in younger people, 10 percent of all strokes occur from age 18 to 50, the study authors noted.
Dr. Steven Levine, an attending neurologist at The Brooklyn Hospital Center in New York City, agreed.
"Stroke in young people is more common than most people realize," he said. "Approximately 15 percent of all strokes due to blocked arteries [called ischemic strokes] occur in young adults and adolescents."
Levine, who was not involved in the new study, added that stroke can often have a devastating effect on the lives of younger patients.
"Compared to stroke in older people, stroke in the young has significant economic impact by leaving victims disabled prior to their most productive years," he pointed out.
The new Dutch study was led by Frank-Erik de Leeuw, associate professor of neurology at the Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Center. His team tracked the progress of 722 people who first had a stroke at ages 18 to 50.
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One-Third of Young Stroke Victims Remain Disabled Years After: Study