The causes of stroke occur at a young age & bull; hello healthy

Stroke generally occurs in the elderly. This is usually triggered by various health conditions and an unhealthy lifestyle. But, can stroke also occur in children, adolescents, to people of productive age? The answer, yes. Let's look at my explanation about stroke at a young age below.

Stroke at a young age is not much different from stroke in the elderly

If you think that strokes can only be experienced by the elderly, then you are wrong. Stroke can actually happen to everyone at any age, including at a young age. Both children and the elderly, all have the potential to develop this disease.

In fact, the symptoms experienced by elderly stroke patients and patients at a young age are no different. In fact, what is different is the type of stroke experienced, namely ischemic stroke (blockage) and hemorrhagic stroke (bleeding).

Even so, slightly different from strokes experienced by the elderly, strokes at productive age or at a young age are more common in men than in women. This is because at productive age, women still produce the hormone estrogen, which naturally makes blood vessel walls better.

However, in old age, especially after menopause, the level of estrogen in a woman's body decreases over time so that the chances of men and women having a stroke at an advanced age are equal.

In general, strokes that occur more often are ischemic or blockage types of strokes. If the factors that cause stroke in the elderly also include hypertension, cholesterol, diabetes, and various other health conditions, strokes at a young age, especially children and adolescents, are not caused by these things. There are other factors or health conditions that can cause a stroke at a young age.

Factors that cause stroke at a young age

Similar to the type of stroke, the factors that cause stroke at a young age are also grouped based on the type of stroke, namely factors that cause ischemic stroke or blockage, and factors that cause hemorrhagic or bleeding strokes. Are as follows.

Ischemic stroke

Stroke in the form of a blockage is related to blood circulation to the brain, where this condition indicates a blockage that blocks blood circulation to the brain, causing a stroke. There are several things that can make this happen, including the following.

1. Abnormalities in the heart

Heart defects can be one of the causes of stroke at a young age. There are several types of abnormalities that may occur, both in the valve and in the leaky heart divider. In addition, there are also heart defects that have occurred since birth or congenital heart disease.

If a person has a heart defect, the heart pump will be disturbed. This can cause when blood is pumped out of the heart, there will be blood left in the heart. The remaining blood will clot and have the potential to escape or exit by itself into the brain causing an embolism, which is an obstruction to the flow of blood vessels in the brain that can cause a stroke. This condition is called cardioembolism.

2. Blockage of the blood vessels

Apart from heart defects, strokes at a young age can also be caused by blockages in blood vessels. Abnormalities that can cause this condition occur in takayasu and moyamoya diseases.

If takayasu is a condition where the blood vessels in the brain are narrowed or completely blocked, moyamoya is the narrowing of the blood vessels in the neck area to the brain. However, if one of them occurs, it can increase the potential for stroke at a young age.

3. The blood thickens

Stroke at a young age can also occur in someone who has blood clotting disorders, such as the following.

a. In people who have the condition antiphospholipid syndrome . For people who have this health condition, the blood in their body tends to clot so that when it flows in the body and passes through smaller or narrower blood vessels, the blood will get stuck and clog.

This can lead to stroke because the blood vessels to the brain tend to be smaller than blood vessels in other areas of the body.

b. In children who suffer from thalassemia, where the hemoglobin (Hb) in thalassemia sufferers tends to be low. This can lead to stroke because when a person lacks hemoglobin, oxygen and blood will not have a "vehicle" to be carried to the brain. So that blood circulation to the brain is not smooth and causes circulation disturbances to the brain.

Hemorrhagic stroke

In contrast to the causes of ischemic stroke at a young age, the causes of bleeding or hemorrhagic strokes are usually caused by abnormalities that rarely occur but if they do occur it can increase the risk of stroke at a young age. Are as follows.

1. Arteriovenous Malformation (AVM)

In people who have this condition, there is an abnormality in the formation of arteries and veins in the form of a woven with a thin wall that is easily broken, causing bleeding in the brain and spinal cord. Bleeding in the brain will cause a hemorrhagic stroke.

2. Aneurysms

Meanwhile, in aneurysm sufferers, the blood vessels will enlarge like a balloon. However, it will also thin out so that it breaks easily. If the blood vessels in the brain rupture, bleeding will occur which can lead to hemorrhagic stroke at a young age.

3. Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (ITP)

If a person has an ITP disorder, the number of platelets or platelets in the body will be very low. So, when there is an impact on the head or something shakes the head, it will be easy to leak blood because the number of pieces of blood that should be able to cover the leak caused by the impact or shock is not sufficient.

4. Blood clotting disorders

One of the blood clotting disorders that may occur is hemophilia. This condition is a rare inherited disorder that can make blood difficult to clot. This causes a person to experience bleeding easily. If it occurs in the brain, then the person can have a hemorrhagic stroke.

Stroke at a young age can be cured

As with strokes in the elderly, the chance of recovery for stroke sufferers at a young age is the same. Because what can determine a person can recover or not is the handling, whether it is appropriate and fast.

Meanwhile, the healing process of stroke at a young age can also be assisted with home care, one of which is by increasing the amount of movement or normal daily activities. You can also do physical activities such as exercising. However, this depends on the cause of the stroke.

For example, if a stroke occurs due to an aneurysm, then you should not do strenuous exercise such as marathons or lifting weights because it will worsen your health condition.

Therefore, if you want to exercise, first ask your doctor whether your condition allows for this physical activity. Ask also, what kind of exercise can be done.

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