The increase in the number of stroke patients is directly related to the increase in morbidity among young people. In the world, this pathology annually affects up to 6 million people, more than 1/4 of all cases end in death. Stroke in at a young age ceased to be a rarity. The disease is one of the main causes of mortality and disability.

What is a stroke

Acute circulatory failure in the brain is referred to as a stroke. It comes in two types:

• Ischemic – caused by obstruction of the bloodstream.
• Hemorrhagic - is a consequence of rupture of a vessel with subsequent hemorrhage.

Both conditions have similar symptoms, but their treatment is completely different. This is why differential diagnosis is so important.

Ischemic

The cause of ischemic stroke is a violation of blood circulation in the brain. It occurs due to damage to its tissues due to restriction or lack of blood supply. At a young age, cerebrovascular accident occurs due to arterial thrombosis, cardiac embolism, often in the absence of atherosclerosis and hypertension, against the background of changes in blood properties.

Symptoms in young people develop gradually - vital functions are preserved, the person is conscious, speech may be difficult. An ischemic attack most often occurs in the morning, after sleep.

Hemorrhagic

Diagnosed three times less frequently, but considered more dangerous, the hemorrhagic type of stroke. The condition is accompanied by rupture of a blood vessel and blood entering the brain tissue. Even damage to a small capillary leads to hemorrhagic stroke at a young age, while rupture of a large vessel has irreversible consequences.

The main cause of hemorrhagic stroke in young people is arterial hypertension and rupture of aneurysms.

This attack most often occurs during the day, at the peak of physical and emotional activity, or during stress. Often there is pain, like from a blow to the head, vomiting, a red veil before the eyes, fainting. The mortality rate when this condition occurs is very high.

At what age does a stroke occur?

According to international epidemiological studies, up to 4.7 million people die every year from acute cerebrovascular accident (ACI). The frequency of its occurrence at a young age - up to 24 years of age is 20.5 cases per 100 thousand population per year, and at the age of 35-44 years this figure reaches 22.9 cases per 100 thousand.

Causes of stroke at an early age

ACVA has no age restrictions; this diagnosis is made even in childhood and adolescence.

Almost a third of all cases of the disease occur in the period of life from 15 to 45 years.

At the same time percentage women and men 39/25. Stroke in early age determined by the following reasons, regardless of gender:

• Disorders of the vascular system. These include: atherosclerotic lesions of intracranial vessels, hypertension. The latter is considered main reason occurrence of strokes at a young age.
• Congenital heart valve defects, heart diseases with rhythm disturbances.
• Reduced or increased blood clotting, which can cause thrombosis or bleeding.
• Destruction of the walls of blood vessels infectious pathologies, diabetes mellitus.
• Injuries and anomalies of the carotid artery.
• Regular use of hormonal hormones medicines. Hormone imbalance can affect chemical composition blood.
• Oncological pathologies, neoplasms of blood vessels of the heart and brain.
• Genetic predisposition or a family history (heredity). It's about about the peculiarities of metabolism or the structure of the vascular system.
• Physical inactivity.
• Excessive consumption of alcohol, stimulants, smoking. A stroke at the age of 30 in every 10th case occurs due to the abuse of alcohol, drugs and tobacco products.
• Obesity. It increases the load on a person’s blood vessels and heart, triggering a chain of neurochemical reactions leading to a stroke.

Why strokes occur in young women

There are a number of factors, exclusively female, that are the main reasons for the gender gap in relation to this condition. These include:

• early puberty (menarche) before 10 years of age;
• early onset of menopause (before 45 years);
• low level the hormone dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA);
• use of contraceptives;
• oral estrogen;
• postpartum complications (preeclampsia, postpartum hypertension).
• prevalence of smoking among the fairer sex. Women's smoking increases the risk of stroke by 60% (in men - by 40%)

Risk factors for young men

Highlight following reasons stroke in young men:

• smoking;
• overuse alcohol (more than 60 ml per day, alcoholic binges);
• Features of working conditions (hard, hazardous production)
• disdain for own health– abdominal obesity, low physical activity, ignoring somatic diseases.

Signs of stroke in young people

In young and old people, the symptoms of stroke are practically no different. The disease can be identified in young people by the following manifestations:

• decreased sensitivity, numbness of the limbs (arms, legs);
• impaired coordination of movements;
• headache as if from a blow, a sensation of blood rushing to the head;
• blurred vision, seeing objects under a red “veil”, feeling of “porridge in the mouth”;
• change or absence of speech, misunderstanding of another person’s words.

The pathological process in young people takes place against the background of clear consciousness, tissue damage occurs more slowly. Atypical signs are: chest pain, hiccups, nausea, vomiting. Such symptoms are more often observed in affected women. Recognize acute failure blood circulation in the brain will be helped by the UZP test. To do this you need to ask the person:

1. U - smile. Lip movements are asymmetrical, facial expressions are one-sided.
2. Z - talk. It is difficult for the victim to pronounce simple sentences.
3. P - raise both hands. While performing such actions there will be no synchrony; one of the hands will lag behind due to weakness.

The appearance of such symptoms is a reason to urgently call emergency services and emergency hospitalization. It is important to contact specialists during the “therapeutic window”. This is a period of time (2-6 hours), during which, with adequate therapy, the degree of brain damage decreases and there is a chance to avoid possible complications.

Harbingers of pathology

A pre-stroke condition is a transient disturbance of cerebral circulation, which patients often do not pay attention to. Signal about an impending attack can:

• irresistible fatigue, craving for sleep;
• causeless agitation, irritability, depressed mood;
• lethargy, weakness;
• dizziness;
• memory impairment;
• fever, headache;
• difficulty in swallowing (lump in throat);
• narrowing of visual fields, double vision;
• numbness of a limb, part of the face, convulsions.

The condition of a stroke in any of its forms is always a condition of a somatoneurological problem. Moreover, all of the above applies not only to stroke conditions that develop in adulthood or old age. First of all, such a description can be attributed to stroke conditions that occur at a fairly young or even young age (namely, according to the classification World Organization Healthcare for patients aged from fifteen to forty-five years).

Apoplexy

A stroke that occurs at any age is acute form pathological disorders of cerebral circulation, accompanied by the death of brain tissue cells and corresponding functional disorders what the specific symptoms of the disease correspond to. A stroke that develops at the age of 20, 30 or 45 (sometimes at a younger age) can be ischemic or hemorrhagic.

Next, we would like to provide statistical data on the development of stroke pathology in men and women, depending on the age of the patients. The diagram below clearly shows that stroke, which not so rarely affects people in their twenties or thirties, spares no one, although it occurs much more often in older patients.

Development of cerebral stroke in patients of different ages

Various types of ischemic stroke, which occur in patients at a fairly young age (20-30 years), are distinguished by their etiological heterogeneity. What causes a stroke at the age of 25, why does it happen that seemingly absolutely healthy young men and women experience ischemic stroke? The reasons that can cause this form of the disease at such a young age are:

• Hidden vascular diseases that are not always detected in a timely manner.
• In the possible development of cardiogenic embolism.
• Hematological disorders not detected in a timely manner.
• Frequent abuse of medications by patients, say, the same oral contraceptives, which girls 20-30 years old prefer to use.
• Development of migraine, etc.

The reasons why young patients may develop hemorrhagic stroke are developmental:

• Arterial hypertension.
• Possibly an aneurysm.
• Sometimes hemangiomas.
• The occurrence of atherosclerosis at a young age.
• Diseases such as hemophilia, systemic lupus erythematosus, eclampsia, hemorrhagic vasculitis, venous thrombosis, Werlhof's disease.
• When young people have a tendency to abuse strong drugs, for example, cocaine.

As a result, hemorrhagic stroke that occurs at a young age (in patients 20-30 years old) is manifested by the development of subarachnoid, parenchymal, or intraventricular hemorrhage of varying intensity.

The first signs and subsequent symptoms of this condition in patients 20-30 years old are not too different from the manifestations of stroke in an older group of people.

How different are the causes of brain stroke in younger patients?

Traditionally (both in young people, aged 20-30, and in older people - over 50), the causes of stroke can be found in diseases familiar to many. When asking what causes a stroke, many will answer without the help of doctors - from long-term progressive atherosclerosis, arterial hypertension, heart rhythm disturbances, etc.

Hemorrhage due to cerebral stroke

In addition, many will notice without the help of specialists that the first risk factors for developing a brain stroke are long-term smoking and a pathological tendency to constantly use alcohol or drugs. However, not many people know that today there are other reasons for the development of stroke, which often debilitate very young and even physically strong (relatively healthy) people of 20-30 years old.

So, the most common reasons why cerebral hemorrhage (hemorrhagic stroke) can occur in patients 20-30 years old are congenital changes in the vascular system of the brain. These are conditions in which so-called aneurysms are formed - strictly specific sac-like protrusions of the walls of vital intracerebral arteries.

A little less frequently, but also specific arteriovenous type malformations occur, when a fairly orderly (physiologically correct) series of separation and branching of vessels of different orders is simply lost. As a result, the substance of the brain feeds a whole conglomerate of vessels, among which there may be some tangled tangles of physiologically defective, structureless vessels.

As a rule, the walls of aneurysms or those vessels that are susceptible to arteriovenous malformation are considered quite thin and fragile, and physiologically normal increase pressure (possible under stress, strong positive emotions, during physical exertion), this can lead to rupture of them, to hemorrhage into the substance of the brain or under its membranes.

Note that such congenital anomalies are the main reasons why stroke occurs in patients aged 20-30 years.

Especially if such anomalies were not noticed in a timely manner by doctors and were not corrected, and the patient, considering himself absolutely healthy, received increased stress.

What is the difficulty in preventing brain stroke in young patients?

Unfortunately, as most experts report, congenital aneurysms, as well as malformations of the cerebral arteries for many years can be completely asymptomatic, without disturbing patients. Symptoms and signs of such serious anomalies that can lead to the development of a stroke at the age of 20-30 can only occasionally manifest themselves in the form of episodic headaches. Sometimes the symptoms of these anomalies may include the periodic occurrence of tinnitus, pulsations in the veins of the head and neck, which, in fact, may alert an experienced neurologist.

Observation and examination by a specialist

But still, the patient’s treatment of such problems becomes possible only when the person himself can realize that similar symptoms or signs of an illness unknown to him, require consultation with an experienced specialist. Unfortunately, as a rule, reaching 20 or even 30 summer age, no one thinks that such symptoms may indicate the development of a serious pathology. And moreover, few people understand that this may be the primary signs of the possible imminent development of a stroke.

Most of us can accept these alarms(capable of causing a stroke) for simple fatigue, after a day of work, or for general malaise associated, say, with a cold. However, we emphasize that if you notice similar symptoms in yourself or your younger relatives, do not be lazy to contact a neurologist - perhaps the symptoms described will actually turn out to be just your imagination, and perhaps this is how you will save a life.

It must be said that today, there are many methods of high-quality instrumental diagnostics (we are talking primarily about computer X-ray or magnetic resonance imaging), which make it possible to confirm or refute with the highest degree of accuracy the fears that arise in cases when such symptoms appear.

Stroke: causes, symptoms, signs, first aid, prevention

80 percent of patients who have had a stroke become disabled, of which a third require outside help. Only 20 percent can return to old life. What causes a person to have a stroke? Is it possible to avoid this terrible disease? The chief neurologist of the Agency for Healthcare and Drug Supply Administration speaks Krasnoyarsk Territory Doctor of Medical Sciences Professor Svetlana Shetekaura.

Stroke is an acute disorder of cerebral circulation, which is based on disorders of the vascular system of the brain. This may be a rupture, spasm, or blockage of one of the vessels supplying blood to an area of ​​the brain.

Hemorrhagic - (hemorrhage) - when a vessel ruptures and blood enters the cranial cavity. They account for 15-20 percent of all strokes. In young people (20-30 years old), hemorrhagic stroke most often occurs as a result of a rupture of a brain vessel with a congenital anomaly, when the vessel did not form correctly in the womb (the so-called aneurysm). With excessive physical activity, severe stress, even with a sharp tilt, such a vessel can rupture. At an older age, a vessel in the brain may rupture, unable to withstand high blood pressure (BP) - a hypertensive crisis. Hemorrhagic strokes are the most severe and have the highest mortality rate.

The rest of the strokes are ischemic, caused by insufficient blood supply to the brain as a result of vascular spasm or blockage of a vessel by a blood clot. The integrity of the vascular wall in this type of stroke is preserved, but blood flow is reduced due to a decrease in its lumen. More often this happens with atherosclerosis, when the elasticity of the vessel wall is impaired by fatty deposits - atherosclerotic plaques. They increase in size and close the lumen of the vessel. Or blood clots form on their damaged surface, which close the lumen of the vessel. Ischemic strokes develop more often after 40-50 years.

Two diseases most often lead to strokes - hypertension and atherosclerosis. Hypertension is dangerous because in half of the cases this disease is asymptomatic, that is, the person does not feel his high blood pressure, is not treated, and a stroke for him is like a bolt from the blue. Atherosclerosis is the leading cause of stroke in older people. In addition to these diseases, people at risk for strokes are people with diabetes, obesity, and people with increased blood clotting - they usually have a tendency to form blood clots. Smokers are at great risk - obliteration (narrowing of the lumen) of their vessels occurs not only in the legs, but also in the brain. Those who abuse alcohol are also at risk. It is abused because small doses of alcohol do not lead to strokes. Matters hereditary factor- strokes occur more often in those whose close relatives have suffered a stroke or heart attack. Particular caution should be exercised by those who often experience stressful situations, which are usually accompanied by a sharp rise in blood pressure, and the state of the blood vessels at this moment is unknown to the person - the vessel may not withstand the stress.

Strokes develop to the same extent in both men and women. In the age group under 60 years of age, strokes occur twice as often in men, and after 60 years of age - more often in women.

Often, before a patient develops a stroke, signs of a transient cerebrovascular accident may occur. You should pay attention to them.

The first signs are warning signs of a stroke:

- sudden, unexplained severe headache;

- dizziness, loss of balance or coordination;

- sudden weakness or numbness of any part of the body: face, tongue, torso, arm or leg, especially if it is on one side of the body;

- sudden deterioration of vision in one or both eyes;

- disturbance of consciousness, orientation in environment;

- speech disorders.

These sensations appear suddenly and disappear after a few minutes or hours. 30 percent of patients with such short-term ischemic attacks develop a stroke of varying severity within a year. Therefore, you should not wait for it to “go away on its own”; you should immediately call an ambulance.

At the first signs of a stroke, before the ambulance arrives, you need to;

- calm the patient, lay him down and insist on rest;

- measure blood pressure, if it is high and the patient knows about his hypertension, immediately take the drug that he usually takes for high blood pressure;

- improve air flow: remove the patient from a stuffy, especially smoky, room, open a window, unbutton the collar, that is, create conditions for a greater supply of oxygen.

It is forbidden!

Move sharply, stand up. In such conditions, a person experiences psychomotor agitation, when the patient begins to move actively, this can sharply worsen his condition.

If your blood pressure is high, do not try to sharply lower your blood pressure. Optimally, blood pressure is reduced by 15-20 percent from the original.

Take antispasmodics: noshpa, papaverine and others.

Called " Ambulance"(as a rule, this is a specialized stroke team) will take the patient to the hospital.

Ambulance teams have in their arsenal the equipment and necessary medications to provide assistance to the patient before arriving at the hospital. The main thing is speedy hospitalization in a hospital, where they will immediately prescribe necessary treatment. Experts have a concept - a “therapeutic window”, when within 3-6 hours after a stroke it is necessary to begin complex intensive treatment, before the brain tissue left without blood supply during a stroke has yet died.

Based on severity, strokes are divided into mild, moderate and severe. Mild stroke heals within three weeks intensive care and ends happily for the patient: impaired functions are restored, no paralysis or speech disorders remain. The statistics for more severe strokes are pessimistic: every fifth patient dies, 80 percent remain deeply disabled. Treat severe stroke with at this stage medical development is impossible, so stroke prevention is more important than treatment.

National measures to prevent strokes include active medical examination of patients with diseases leading to stroke. Such patients should be under constant medical supervision so that doctors can actively treat their disease, individually selecting treatment.

But great value They also have means of individual prevention.

Know your blood pressure. If you are healthy, measure it at least once a year. If you suffer from high-risk diseases, especially hypertension, you should have a blood pressure measuring device at home.

Control your weight. Be sure to consult your doctor about how you personally can deal with excess weight. Strive for a balanced diet with limited animal fats, salt and sugar, with a predominance of fruits, vegetables, and lactic acid products. For hypertensive patients, you need to learn in detail and use a salt-free diet, for patients with atherosclerosis - a hypocholesterol diet.

If you have diabetes, strictly follow your doctor's recommendations for controlling your blood glucose.

If you smoke, stop. Smoking doubles the risk of stroke.

To prevent a recurrent stroke, a number of measures are carried out from the first days of a stroke. This:

intensive treatment of diseases leading to stroke;

taking anticoagulants with increased blood viscosity, when the risk of thrombosis is high: taking aspirin or aspirin-containing drugs (cardiomagnyl), which have no effect on the gastric mucosa;

taking medications that improve cerebral circulation. These drugs are taken in courses in the future. In the first year after a stroke - necessarily twice a year, then - for health reasons, once or twice a year.

Material prepared by Nadezhda Frolova

Denis Pavlov: “Bad habits and overload can cause a stroke even at 20 years old”

Stroke can be called the “plague of the 21st century”: every year it occurs in six million people on the planet.

In Russia, stroke affects almost half a million people a year and is in second place in the number of deaths - approximately every third person dies.

Despite the scale of the disaster, only a few people still think about the disease before it occurs. And in vain - because stroke can be prevented. And if it happens, then with skillful rehabilitation you can return to normal life.

Assisting in the rehabilitation of people who have suffered a stroke, a graduate of the Faculty of Adaptive physical culture Denis Petrov has been training since 2010.

— What types of strokes are there?

— Stroke can be ischemic and hemorrhagic. Recovery is possible after any type of stroke. At hemorrhagic stroke, which is also called a cerebral infarction, a hemorrhage occurs in the brain, affecting different parts of it. An ischemic stroke is a blockage of blood vessels by a blood clot.

— After what stroke is the maximum and fast recovery person?

— After an ischemic stroke, recovery occurs faster. Whether a person will be able to come to his senses after a hemorrhagic stroke depends on the size of the brain lesion and on how correctly the person and the people around him behave in the first hours after its onset, and how quickly they begin rehabilitation.

— Is it possible to find out about an impending stroke and are there ways to prevent this disease in principle?

- Of course, it’s possible, despite the fact that the disease is always unexpected. Its approach may be indicated by increased pressure, partial numbness - cheeks, arms, legs, loss of sensation different areas body, loss of peripheral vision fields, violation of the symmetry of the nasolabial triangle. Such conditions can occur unexpectedly and last for several minutes, and then go away on their own. Do not underestimate the situation - these signs may indicate a transient ischemic attack, after which a full-fledged stroke can develop within 24 hours, so hospitalization should in no case be abandoned. Often simple blood thinners can save a person. If you just remember to control your blood pressure and check your cholesterol and blood sugar levels once a year, you can already reduce the risk of a sudden stroke.

–What causes a stroke, what are the main factors?

— High loads and overvoltage, as a result of which pressure surges occur - the most common reason. This also includes smoking, alcohol, and stimulants. Heredity in this case is very important - if one of your relatives had a stroke, then the risk is high.

— And if a stroke does happen, what should you do?

- Do not get up under any circumstances, call an ambulance. Within four hours after the onset of hemorrhage, there is a chance to prevent the lesion from reaching its maximum. This is the so-called therapeutic period.

— They say that a stroke is not as terrible as its consequences. Is there a chance after this to become a full-fledged person again?

— Rehabilitation helps in any case, it all depends on the size of the brain lesion and the amount of time that has passed since the stroke. It is best to begin recovery immediately, the next day, gradually - you cannot give the body and muscles the opportunity to forget their normal state and usual movements, including horizontal position in space. But people don't always understand this. If it doesn’t work out right away, then within a year recovery with the return of all skills is possible. After a year, it is only possible for a person to adapt to life in an already current state. And even the most experienced specialist will no longer undertake the rehabilitation of a person who had a stroke two years or more ago.

— What mistakes in rehabilitation do people who have had a stroke and their relatives most often make?

— The mistake is that many people underestimate the importance of rehabilitation. Recovery after a hemorrhagic stroke should begin immediately. You can independently treat a patient by following advice from the Internet, but in this case no one guarantees that you will not harm the person.

— At what age should you be afraid of a stroke?

- Today - in any case. As a rule, stroke is most likely after 40 years of age, but in my practice there were 20-year-old patients who suffered it. Stroke “gets younger”, which is facilitated by environmental and nutritional features - consumption of salty, fatty foods, smoked foods, consumption of alcoholic beverages, especially low-alcohol drinks, and energy drinks. Exhaustion—physical and emotional—can trigger a stroke at any age.

Photo from personal archive Denis Pavlova

Stroke is a clinical syndrome that occurs as a result of disruption of the blood supply to the brain, leading to the death of nerve cells and disorders of the functioning of the body. IN lately Stroke is not uncommon at a young age, which often develops against the background wrong attitude to health. Moreover, this disease often occurs in people who do not have chronic diseases. In our article we will look at the causes of stroke, its symptoms and prevention.

Causal factors

The reasons leading to the development of stroke at the age of 20-30 years are:

Etiology of female and male stroke

The causes of stroke in men and women differ in a number of ways. In women, this disease most often has a relationship with hormonal changes, and in men – with occupational risks and bad habits.

Provoking factors affecting the female body

The main causes of cerebrovascular accidents in women are:

Moreover, stroke in women rarely occurs at the age of 20; the body’s protectors, estrogens, play a big role here. Most often it occurs at an older age. But they have more serious consequences: Severe disability and death often occur. Cerebral hemorrhage is diagnosed more severely in women than in men.

Signs of the disease in women

The insidiousness of cerebral hemorrhage in women is that they have rather atypical manifestations, which seem to have nothing to do with a stroke. In the weaker sex, the first signs may be combined with nausea, weakness, hiccups, loss of consciousness, and shortness of breath.

Before cerebrovascular accident syndrome gains strength, women experience the first warning signs in the form of headaches, speech disturbances, vision, numbness, and lack of pupillary response to light.

The patient experiences a lack of coordination, during which muscle tone weakens, strength in the limbs decreases, and falls are common.

Factors influencing male stroke

The main causes of cerebrovascular accidents in men are:

Stroke occurs at a younger age in men. According to statistics, at the age of 20-30 years, 40% of men are susceptible to this serious disease. However, the disease has standard signs and is diagnosed more easily and quickly than in women. Accordingly, in males the recovery period is not prolonged.

Signs of the disease in men

In the male population, atypical signs of the onset of the disease appear only in 30% of cases, in the rest they have classic symptoms, among which there are various mental disorders, disturbances of perception, headache, darkening of the eyes.

The role of antiphospholipid syndrome in the occurrence of an attack

Antiphospholipid syndrome is a recently discovered disease known to cause stroke in the young population aged 20-30 years. The first signs of the disease appear in the form of vascular patterns on the thighs, hands, and legs.

Antiphospholipid syndrome causes sudden deterioration of vision, non-healing ulcers, gangrene of the lower extremities.

Scientists have found that this syndrome often occurs at the age of 20-30, and in 20% of cases, miscarriage occurs due to this disease. In addition to brain disorders, antiphospholipid syndrome leads to renal failure, blindness, spontaneous abortions and a number of other severe pathologies.

Causes of antiphospholipid syndrome

Antiphospholipid syndrome often occurs in patients with a genetic predisposition to this disease, but there are other reasons for the development of this disease, these include:

Antiphospholipid syndrome leads to blood clotting disorders and, as a consequence, to the appearance of thrombosis, which provokes the development of stroke in young people no older than 20-30 years.

What symptoms should you call a doctor for?

4 main signs of a stroke. First signs brain disorder in young people 20-30 years old:

Also, others should pay attention to the eyes, which will also help determine the initial signs of the disease.

6 ocular signs stroke:

First aid

It is necessary to pull yourself together, try to calmly, without panic, provide first aid to the patient, which is important for the future quality of life and consists of the following:

The sooner the environment pays attention to early signs stroke, the sooner he receives specialized medical care, the greater the patient’s chances of further recovery and restoration of his previous lifestyle.

Preventive measures

Every person, even a young person, a little over 20 years old, should know that prevention of this disease is necessary, first of all, for himself. Stroke prevention includes a set of the following measures:

Oddly enough, but lately it has been happening rapid rejuvenation stroke. This is directly related to the modern rhythm of life. It is prevention and timely detection of signs of the disease that can not only save people’s lives, but also reduce the number of post-stroke consequences.

Acute disturbance of cerebral hemodynamics in young people occurs against the background of vascular diseases, congenital or acquired anomalies of their structure, inflammation, and disturbances in blood composition. Hemorrhagic strokes predominate in this age group.

Manifestations of the disease are sudden and often fatal. With early diagnosis and complex treatment partial or complete (less often) recovery occurs motor functions, speech, ability for mental work.

Read in this article

Why does stroke occur in young people?

There is a difference between the factors for stroke development in older and younger people. If after 50 years the maximum number of brain accidents causes, then before this age congenital anomalies and cardiac pathologies lead.

Hereditary causes

In the structure of causes of acute cerebrovascular accident in young patients, more than half are hemorrhage. It is most often associated with an abnormality in the structure of blood vessels - an arterial aneurysm or arteriovenous malformation.

The walls of these formations are thin and brittle, so when pressure increases due to a stressful situation, physical or intense mental load the vessel ruptures. Hereditary defects of the blood coagulation system also lead to hemorrhages, the formation of hematomas inside the skull.

Aortic aneurysm is a common cause of stroke in young people

Approximately 45% of strokes are ischemic. Blockage occurs when a blood clot breaks away from the venous system of the extremities in the presence of congenital defects such as aneurysm of the interatrial septum. One of the causes of early strokes may be associated with type 1 diabetes, which is suffered from birth.

Lifestyle as a risk factor

The risk of ischemia and cerebral hemorrhage increases in the following population:

• smokers;
• taking narcotic drugs;
• substance abusers;
• alcohol abusers;
• predominate in the diet fatty foods animal origin and sweets with a deficiency of dietary fiber;
• those who are overweight, especially with concomitant carbohydrate metabolism disorders;
• taking birth control pills;
• systematically violating the daily routine (night shifts);
• experiencing frequent psycho-emotional overload.

Moreover, unlike in elderly patients, such disorders do not so much provoke deposits in the arteries, but rather affect the thickness of the blood and vascular spasm.

Other factors

Hemorrhagic

It may be in the form of hemorrhage from a rupture of an artery of various locations. Depending on this, it is found in the following varieties:

• parenchymal (into the brain tissue);
• subarachnoid (subarachnoid space);
• ventricular (into the ventricles of the brain);
• mixed (affects 2 or more structures).

The most severe type of hemorrhage is a breakthrough of blood into the ventricles of the brain.

Watch the video about the causes of stroke in young people:

Symptoms in women and men

Since the most common cause of stroke in young people is a ruptured artery in the brain, this is unexpected. An acute headache appears, accompanied by an attack of vomiting, dizziness, rapid loss of consciousness, or coma, convulsive syndrome. General cerebral signs depend on the degree of compression of the brain by the hematoma and the shift of the brain stem to the area of ​​the foramen magnum.

A large accumulation of blood or its passage into the ventricles of the brain occurs with severe disruption of all vital functions, increased blood pressure, depression of consciousness, muscle spasms and convulsions of all extremities (hormetonia).

Focal neurological symptoms include:

• memory loss;
• speech disorder;
• difficulty swallowing;
• loss of visual fields, flashes of light, visual hallucinations;
• paralysis or paresis of limbs;
• changes in sensitivity and tendon reflexes;
• distortion of the face, when smiling or raising an eyebrow, the affected part is motionless;
• targeted actions are impossible.

In the first three weeks, general cerebral symptoms come to the fore. The degree of dislocation (shift) of the brain due to its swelling determines the survival of patients at this stage. Often to severe general condition exacerbations of existing kidney and liver diseases, and decompensation of diabetes mellitus are added. The greatest number of deaths occurs up to one month from the time of hemorrhage.

After the acute stage, focal signs associated with the localization of brain damage appear. With successful treatment, they can regress almost completely, to a more severe cases a persistent neurological defect remains, which leads to disability.

Diagnosis of the condition

Based on examination of the patient, determination of muscle tone, skin sensitivity and neurological reflexes, in most cases it is possible to make a diagnosis.

To confirm it, the following methods are used:

• tomography or CT scan - the type, localization of the lesion, swelling of the brain tissue, displacement of structures, as well as the cause of the stroke are determined - stenosis, blockage, rupture of the artery;
• spinal puncture (only after ultrasound of the brain and the absence of its displacement) - with hemorrhage, the pressure of the cerebrospinal fluid is increased, there is an admixture of blood, the protein content is increased;
• Ultrasound of the vessels of the neck and head shows arterial spasm, a blocked vessel, and bypass blood flow paths;
• angiography is used before prescribing thrombolytics and identifying aneurysmal dilatations;
• A general clinical blood test (coagulogram, biochemistry, blood sugar), urine tests, and ECG help clarify the cause of the stroke.

Stroke treatment

At the first stage, they ensure the maintenance of basic vital signs in intensive care units. To do this, use the following methods:

• restoration of breathing using artificial ventilation;
• normalization of blood pressure and round-the-clock monitoring of its level;
• correction of blood electrolyte composition, alkaline reaction, glycemia;
• reduction of cerebral edema - Mannitol, Prednisolone, hyperventilation or induced coma with barbiturates, cerebral hypothermia;
• decompression - opening the skull and installing drains;
• antipyretics to combat fever - Olfen, Metindol;
• anticonvulsants – Thiopental, Lorazepam;
• antiemetics - Cerucal;
• to reduce agitation - Haloperidol, magnesium;
• neuroprotectors – Somazina, Thiotriazolin, Glycine.

IN early stages removal of the hematoma may be indicated. It should be taken into account that surgical treatment is not always effective, as the risk of damage to neighboring areas of the brain and increased bleeding increases.

To stop bleeding, various hemostatic agents are used: Dicynone, Aminocaproic acid, Tranexam. At the rehabilitation stage, non-drug treatment methods are used:

During the recovery period, there is a slow normalization of motor functions and sensitivity. At the same time, the greatest results can be achieved only in the first 3 - 4 months. As a rule, after this time all violations remain for a long time. After a year, only speech function can improve. Approximately 65% ​​of young patients become disabled after a stroke.

Prevention

To prevent disruption of cerebral blood flow, it is required early diagnosis and therapy of metabolic disorders, cerebral vascular diseases, especially in congenital pathologies.

Any persistent headache cannot be ignored, as its cause must be established in time. Even young people without clinical manifestations are recommended to undergo a comprehensive cardiac and neurological examination at least once every 5 years. If close relatives have vascular pathology, this period is reduced to 1 year.

Preventive measures include:

• refusal bad habits;
• with the minimization of animal fats, simple carbohydrates with a sufficient content of fresh fruits and vegetables, fish and whole grains, the beneficial role of following the Mediterranean diet has been proven;
• combating stress - developing the correct reaction to traumatic situations (including psychotherapeutic sessions), normalizing sleep;
• weight loss for obesity;
• adequate treatment of heart and blood diseases;
• surgical methods for restoring blood flow - anastomosis, removal of aneurysms and malformations.

The development of stroke at a young age is often associated with bleeding from a damaged cerebral artery, blockage with a blood clot, as well as persistent spasm. Clinical manifestations develop acutely, they depend on the size and area of ​​hematoma or ischemia. IN acute period General cerebral symptoms predominate; in unfavorable cases, frequent deaths occur.

Maximum restoration of motor functions and sensitivity occurs in the first months. At this stage, intensive treatment with medications and the use of physiotherapy are indicated.

Read also

The main precursors of a stroke are quite pronounced. They differ in ischemic and hemorrhagic brains. It is important to notice the first signs in women and men in order to get help sooner.

If there are prerequisites, then only drugs for the prevention of stroke will help avoid disaster. Primary and secondary prevention for men and women, includes medications for the treatment of precursor diseases, pills for bad habits, as well as drug therapy from recurrent hemorrhagic stroke.

If there was an ischemic stroke of the brain, the consequences remain quite severe. They differ depending on the affected area - left and right sides, brain stem. Symptoms of the consequences are pronounced, treatment takes more than a year.

In general, complete restoration of speech after a stroke is possible in the first six months, if there were classes with a speech therapist, practical exercises at home, special medicines. Young people are more likely to have a stroke. If affected right side, then both speech and memory suffer.

In this article we will look at the causes of stroke at a young age.

Experts draw a pattern between age group patients and certain diseases. It is generally accepted that strokes, heart attacks and other pathologies of the heart and blood vessels occur mainly in people older than middle age. This is explained by the fact that cells go through the aging process, just like the vessels of the circulatory system.

Diseases are getting younger

However, some pathological processes have the property of “getting younger,” that is, occurring at a younger age. This is also true for strokes. The disease provokes blockage of small organs, which causes severe brain damage and various health problems. Let's look at the causes of stroke at a young age and its symptoms.

Types of strokes

According to statistics, men at a young age are less at risk of stroke than the fairer sex. In addition, women are much more difficult to endure pathology, they have a high mortality rate, and recovery period takes longer. Regardless of gender and age, stroke is divided into two types.

Ischemic stroke

Ischemic stroke occurs most often at a young age; it is characterized by disruption of blood circulation in the vessels, as well as their complete or partial blockage. The cause of obstruction can be embolism, blood clot, the presence of cholesterol plaques and some diseases associated with disruption of the blood vessels, heart, as well as oncological pathologies.

Hemorrhagic stroke

This type of pathology is less common than ischemic, but is also more dangerous, as it is accompanied by a violation of the integrity of the vessel. In this case, we are talking about a rupture with further hemorrhage in the brain cavities located on the outside. Even the rupture of one capillary can be enough to cause a hemorrhagic stroke. If a larger vessel is destroyed, the consequences will be much more dire and with a greater number of complications. The most likely outcome for a hemorrhagic stroke is death.

Causes of stroke in young people

The causes of stroke at a young age are the same in the case of both hemorrhagic and ischemic types of pathology. The risk factors are similar to those that provoke a stroke in older people, but there are also individual characteristics. The most common causes of stroke in young people are:

1. Genetic predisposition. In this case, the risk factor is determined by a person’s heredity and does not depend on his age. If the patient's parents suffered from heart disease, the likelihood of developing it is much higher. It is heredity that leads to the occurrence of pathology at a young age.
2. Health problems and various pathologies. A stroke may be preceded by disturbances in the functioning of the heart and valves, decreased vascular patency and other diseases. Such pathologies lead to complications even at a young age.
3. Damage to the body caused by a severe infectious disease. There are pathologies that can reduce the elastic properties and patency of arteries. In addition, such diseases lead to tissue destruction, which causes stroke.
4. Regular use of hormone-based medications. Failure to comply with doctor's instructions for taking hormonal drugs, including contraceptives, leads young women to stroke. A significant imbalance in the hormonal balance in the body can change the very structure of the blood and provoke the formation of a blood clot. This is a very common cause of stroke in young women.
5. Bad habits such as smoking or drinking alcohol. Absence healthy image life quite often leads to the development of stroke at a young age. Approximately every tenth case of all strokes between the ages of 20 and 30 occurs due to alcohol and tobacco abuse.
6. Excess body weight. The problem of obesity is becoming more and more acute for many women. Large selection sugary carbonated drinks, the general availability and spread of fast food and other products that provoke weight gain become the cause of obesity. It is excess body weight that leads to increased cholesterol levels in the blood, as well as increased stress on the heart and blood vessels. It is a common cause of stroke in young men.
7. Trauma in the area of ​​the carotid artery. It can also cause various pathological processes, including stroke.
8. Deviation from normal indicators blood clotting. Exceeding the INR norm provokes the formation of blood clots, and a decrease in this indicator can cause bleeding.

A stroke can be caused by various factors, but most of them depend on the person himself.

Signs of stroke at a young age

Diseases of the heart and blood vessels develop over a period of time. In young people, this process can occur over several years, while occurring in a latent form. There are a number of signs that women and men aged 20 to 40 should pay special attention to. If they are detected, you must call an ambulance and wait for a qualified medical care. The main indicators of stroke development are:

1. Sharp pain in the head, which can lead to loss of coordination and fainting.
2. Initial stage stroke may be accompanied by hiccups in women.
3. The appearance of convulsive syndrome in the limbs. In some cases, a sharp muscle spasm leads to injury and a fall. What other symptoms of stroke do young women experience?
4. Confusion and dizziness. Quite often, a person with an incipient stroke ceases to adequately perceive the reality around him. The patient may stop hearing certain words and even expressions.
5. Forgetfulness. When an attack occurs suddenly, a person forgets why and where he was going, cannot clearly explain the presence of any objects in his hands, etc., confusion arises. Signs of stroke in young men should not be ignored.
6. As a result of a stroke, nausea and vomiting occur, and in some cases, tinnitus occurs. If an excessive amount of alcoholic beverages is consumed, such a state is attributed to intoxication and the person is left without qualified help.
7. There are also visual signs of a stroke. Impaired blood circulation in the brain affects a person’s facial expressions, he loses the ability to smile, and sometimes even cannot close his eyelids.
8. Men at a young age may experience severe fatigue and weakness as they develop a stroke. In this case, the loss of strength is accompanied by sudden swings in mood, and sometimes leads to loss of consciousness.
9. Often during a stroke, poor circulation causes numbness in the limbs, as well as decreased hearing and vision.

If the listed signs of stroke are detected at a young age, it is necessary to provide assistance to the person and call doctors.

First aid for stroke

Stroke is severe pathological process, which can lead to many complications and consequences, which will depend on the quality and timeliness of medical care. To stop the attack, the patient is given special medications. Before the doctors arrive, you need to help the patient yourself.

During a stroke, a person must be placed horizontally so that his legs are higher than his head. You should put a pillow under your head. If the patient is wearing tight clothes, you need to remove it or unfasten the buttons, loosen the tie if there is one. The window in the room where the patient is located must be opened, which will ensure the flow of fresh air, and, on the contrary, close the curtains. The patient must be ensured peace and tranquility until the doctors arrive.

Quite often, a person with a stroke is overtaken by a state of panic and a feeling of fear. In this case, you need to try to calm the patient and lay him horizontally.

Hospitalization in case of suspected stroke

If a stroke is suspected, hospitalization and full examination within medical institution. Once the diagnosis is confirmed, treatment begins, which is selected individually for each patient. Therapeutic regimen depends on how severe the attack was and how quickly qualified assistance was provided.

The recovery period for this pathology

With a favorable prognosis, the recovery period will last several months. Rehabilitation involves taking medications, following a therapeutic diet, and special exercises. In particularly extensive and severe lesions, complete recovery may not be possible.

Consequences of stroke at a young age

Why is a stroke dangerous?

Such a severe pathology as a stroke can lead to severe consequences. What they will be depends on the timeliness of medical care provided to the victim.

Let's consider the consequences of a stroke in a woman at a young age.

Girls aged 20-30 recover faster and are less susceptible to strokes. But if there is no help in the first hours after an attack, you may encounter a number of consequences:

• decreased visual acuity;
• temporary or partial memory loss;
• paralysis of one part of the body;
• convulsions;
• loss of sensation;
• hearing loss.

Impaired motor activity can be overcome during the rehabilitation period, although loss of coordination of movements can be observed for another six months after the stroke.

Prevention of this dangerous pathology

Any disease, according to doctors, is easier to prevent than to treat. Stroke is no exception, so preventive measures play an important role. Statistics in medicine indicate that approximately 70% of people do not realize that they are developing a stroke, attributing the ailment to other diseases. If every person, starting from a young age, was attentive to their health, this would significantly reduce the number of strokes. Health is achieved through exercise simple rules, providing a balanced diet, a healthy lifestyle that includes the absence of bad habits, as well as moderate physical activity.

A stroke suffered at a young age causes irreparable harm to a person’s health. In this case, the risk of recurrent stroke in adulthood also increases.

Basic rules that must be followed

1. Balanced diet. Eating enough greens, fruits and vegetables, meat and poultry. Sugar, carcinogens and large number fat
2. Physical activity. To keep your heart in good condition, 3-4 exercise sessions per week are enough.
3. Stressful situations. They should be avoided whenever possible.
4. Drinking alcoholic beverages. We are talking about limiting the amount of alcohol consumed.

It is important to be attentive to your health even at a young age. You need to undergo regular medical examinations.

We looked at the main causes of cerebral stroke at a young age.