Can Stroke Strike at a Young Age?
Stroke is often associated with the degenerative/aging process of blood vessels and the heart, which is more often experienced by older people. People who are young or still productive feel they are still healthy so they tend to ignore the risk of stroke and take it for granted, but do younger people actually not need to worry about having a stroke?
The main causes of stroke are diseases or conditions that accelerate or cause 'damage' to blood vessels, especially brain blood vessels. Therefore, any condition that can accelerate or increase the risk of damage to cerebral blood vessels will be a risk factor for a person having a stroke, regardless of age.
Conditions of obesity or overweight, hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes, and even heart disease can be found from a young age; This situation should not be taken lightly because it increases the risk of having a stroke, and can even cause death at a young age.
How to Prevent Stroke at a Young Age
1. Lowers Blood Pressure
High blood pressure or hypertension is a disease that increases the risk of stroke. Blood pressure can be controlled by reducing salt intake (no more than 1,500 mg/day), avoiding foods high in saturated fat such as red meat, regularly consuming fruit and vegetables every day, exercising for at least 30 minutes every day, and stopping smoking.
2. Lose Weight
Apart from hypertension, obesity has the potential to cause stroke. Maintain ideal body weight, lose excess weight in healthy ways. Avoid random diets without control. Don't let the diet you are on lead to disaster due to lack of nutrition. Exercising regularly is a healthy way to control weight. It is best to consult a doctor/nutritionist for a diet program that is suitable for you.
3. Treating Diabetes
High blood sugar can cause blood clots and can slowly damage blood vessels. To treat diabetes, remember to monitor blood sugar regularly. Apart from that, obey the doctor's/nutritionist's instructions by adjusting your diet, exercise and taking medication.
4. Limit alcohol consumption
Consuming more than two glasses of alcohol every day can increase the risk of stroke. Reporting from a genetic study published in The Lancet , consuming a glass or two of alcoholic drinks every day can increase the risk of stroke by 10-15 percent. If you consume four glasses of alcoholic drinks every day, the risk of stroke increases by 35 percent. As a result, the higher the alcohol consumption, the greater the risk of having a stroke. So, make sure your daily alcohol consumption does not exceed the limit, namely no more than one glass per day.
5. Stop smoking habits
Smoking is closely related to serious heart disease, such as heart attack and stroke. Smoking risks hardening of the blood vessels and accelerating the formation of blood clots, which if they occur in the blood vessels of the brain, can cause stroke. Quitting smoking can be the most significant lifestyle change to prevent the risk of stroke. Especially if accompanied by regular exercise and a healthy diet.
6. Avoid fast food
Most fast food is high in salt and excess oil, even though these contents have a negative effect on health, especially blood pressure and the condition of blood vessels, including brain blood vessels, so they should be avoided.
READ ALSO: STROKE DETECTION WITH FAST METHOD
Article written by dr. Budi Riyanto, Sp.S