Stroke in Young Adults

While stroke is one of the most common diseases, suffering a stroke under the age of 60 may suggest evidence for a hereditary cerebrovascular disorder. Compared to its effect on older people, stroke causes a disproportionally higher impact on the life expectancy and quality of life in young people. The longer length of disability, loss of independence and handicap during these productive years, together with the risk for disease progression and new strokes, make these patient populations extremely burdened and vulnerable.

This is why it is so important to manage a stroke during young adulthood with specialists including medical and therapy providers. Due to the possibility of other conditions underlying the cause of stroke it is important for individuals to seek stroke specialists who many be able to provide future monitoring. For more information about resources after a stroke please visit our rehabilitation resources page.

Signs and Symptoms

All patients with symptoms of stroke, regardless of age, need to be assessed immediately by health-care professionals. The most common signs and symptoms of stroke include the sudden appearance of:

  • Weakness or numbness of the face, arm or leg, usually on one side of the body
  • Trouble walking due to weakness or trouble moving one side of the body, or due to loss of coordination
  • Problems speaking or understanding language, including slurred speech, trouble trying to speak, inability to speak at all, or difficulty in understanding simple directions
  • Severe headache especially with vomiting and sleepiness
  • Trouble seeing clearly in one or both eyes
  • Severe dizziness or loss of coordination that may lead to losing balance or falling
  • New appearance of seizures, especially if affecting one side of the body and followed by paralysis on the side of the seizure activity
  • Combination of progressively worsening non-stop headache, drowsiness and repetitive vomiting, lasting days without relief
  • Complaint of sudden onset of the “worst headache of my life”