Causes Of Stroke At A Young Age, Beware Of Mild Symptoms That Are Often Improved

Illustration of stroke at a young age. (Freepic)

JAKARTA During this stroke, it is often considered an elderly disease. However, in reality, this condition also attacks many groups of young people. So, what is the reason?

In Indonesia, the burden of stroke is relatively high. Data from Riskesdas 2023 noted that the prevalence of stroke reached 8.3 percent, or about eight out of every 100 population. Meanwhile, the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) 2019 report showed stroke contributed 19.42 percent of the total national death. From an economic perspective, the cost of stroke management even reached IDR 5.2 trillion in 2023.

According to neuroscientist Primaya Hospital East Bekasi, dr. Yusi Amalia, lifestyle factors are the dominant cause of increasing stroke at a young age.

"For now, we can't say it's due to hereditary factors, yes. There may be genetic factors, but most often more into lifestyles. The lifestyle of young people now we can say it's far from healthy," he explained at the opening ceremony of the Brain and Spine Center, recently.

Lack of movement habits, consumption of high-fat and sugar foods, stay up late, and prolonged stress is said to be a combination that increases the risk of brain blood vessel disorders.

In addition, dr. Yusi emphasized the importance of health screening to detect risks that are often hidden.

"So it was the same plus earlier, so we need screening as well, there are or not other problems outside the lifestyle that can indeed be a potential or risk of stroke," added doctor Yusi.

Then the public also needs to understand the existence of a silent stroke phenomenon, namely the condition when a person actually has a mild stroke without realizing it because the symptoms are very subtle or even not felt at all.

The stroke symptoms that need to be watched out for include an asymmetric smile, half-body weakness, unclear speech, sudden hearing loss, to severe headaches for no reason.

Silent stroke is dangerous because small damage in the brain can accumulate and risk triggering a more severe stroke in the future. Therefore, the younger generation is advised not to ignore healthy lifestyles and routine health checks, especially if they have risk factors such as hypertension, high cholesterol, obesity, or diabetes.

"Silent stroke is what often makes us feel bad if we actually have a stroke. Its characteristics are actually easy to recognize, such as suddenly not being able to see at a certain time, it means that there is a blockage in the blood vessels around the eyes. Likewise with other sudden impressions," he said.

In today's era, one of the biggest challenges is low awareness of mild symptoms. Many cases were not detected from the start, so patients lost the opportunity to receive treatment on time.

"That's why it is necessary to screen a stroke to be able to see and prevent patients who are at risk so that they can be implemented so they don't get a stroke," he explained.

stroke screening can usually include medical interviews, physical examinations, to supporting examinations such as CT Scan or MRI if the facility is adequate. That way, the problem of brain blood vessels can be detected before developing into serious conditions.

Not only that, the rapid treatment of patients is referred to as the main key. The sooner the patient gets treatment, the less the risk of a permanent defect.

Primaya Hospital Bekasi Timur itself presents the Brain & Spine Center service with a Code Stroke system recognized by the World Stroke Organization (WSO). This system allows intervention to be carried out in the golden period, which is less than four hours from the time the first symptoms appear.

The speed of intervention, continued dr. Yusi, can save more lives while maintaining the quality of life of patients in the future.

"Another factor that is no less important is the role of care givers and people around patients. Patients can only get treatment in golden period if they are immediately taken to the hospital. A delay in a few hours can worsen conditions, increase the risk of defects, and even lead to death," he concluded.