May is National Stroke Awareness Month.
Abbas Kharal, MD, a neurologist with Cleveland Clinic, emphasizes it’s a good time to remind people about the signs and symptoms of a stroke and that anyone can have one – even younger people.
“No age group is immune to having strokes, and we’re surprisingly seeing a significant rise in strokes in young adults,” Dr. Kharal said.
“Particularly in younger adults, we’re seeing a significant rise in premature atherosclerosis, which is hardening and blockages in blood vessels. That is specifically believed to be due to a rise in the vascular risk factors of stroke in more younger patients,” Dr. Kharal said.
“We’re seeing the incidence of high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes occurring now in younger patients in their late 20s into their early 30s. These diseases have traditionally been attributed to a much older population.”
There are several other factors that can lead to stroke, including clotting disorders, structural heart disease, blood vessel abnormalities – including inflammatory and genetic blood vessel disorders – and recreational drug use.
A stroke occurs when there is an issue with blood flow to part of the brain – whether that be due to a lack of blood supply or bleeding in the brain.
Dr. Kharal said it’s important to remember the acronym ‘FAST’ to recognize some of the symptoms of a stroke.
‘F’ is for face drooping, ‘A’ is for arm weakness, ‘S’ is for speech difficulty and ‘T’ is a reminder that it’s time to call 911.
It’s critical to seek immediate medical attention as strokes can cause permanent brain damage or death if treatment is delayed.
What To Do If You Someone Is Having A Stroke:
1. Ask the person to smile. Does one side of the face droop?
2. Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward?
3. Ask the person to repeat a simple phrase. Is their speech slurred or strange?
4. If you observe any of these signs, call 9-1-1 immediately.
According to Dr. Kharal, younger people who experience stroke symptoms will sometimes put off getting help because they think it’s something less serious.
He said lifestyle choices may be one of the reasons why more people under 50 are having strokes.
Dr. Kharal said that living a healthy lifestyle and keeping up with annual doctor visits can reduce a person’s risk of having a stroke.
What Dr. Kharal doesn’t mention is WHY we see a rise in strokes in young people following the rollout of the vaccine. Most of the young people having strokes are otherwise HEALTHY.
These are young people who did not have clotting disorders, structural heart disease, blood vessel abnormalities or inflammatory and genetic blood vessel disorders OR use drugs. Something caused the inflammation, and until they acknowledge that, it will not be prevented.
Pericarditis and Myocarditis are known side effects of the vaccine.
Symptoms of Pericarditis: Sharp, stabbing chest pain that may travel to the left shoulder and neck. It comes on suddenly and can lead to Myocarditis.
Symptoms of Myocarditis: Chest pain felt anywhere in the region of the chest, palpitations where your heart beats particularly fast, malaise or a feeling of uneasiness and discomfort, poor appetite, fever and chills, needing increased effort to breathe, edema which is fluid retention causing your ankles to swell or other areas of your body, physical and mental fatigue and tiredness. Symptoms can last several hours to months.
Myocarditis is inflammation of the heart muscle. It can cause heart failure due to cardiac arrest or dilated cardiomyopathy.
Seek immediate medical attention if you have these symptoms. An MRI can detect Myocarditis. Let your Physician know if and when you were vaccinated.
If yes, make sure they report it.
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