More younger adults are at risk for strokes and heart disease-- How you can tell the signs

Added: 2026-05-20

[00:00:01]Well, heart disease and strokes are still two of the biggest health threats here in Michigan and new state data shows heart disease was the number one cause of death in 2023 and with strokes coming in fourth, together they were linked to nearly one out of every three deaths across the state. That's just a staggering number and doctors say things like high blood pressure, smoking, stress, a poor diet, and not getting enough exercise are all major risk factors here and many don't realize that they're at risk until it's too late.

[00:00:31]Strokes are often thought of as something that happens later in life, but doctors say they're becoming more common in younger adults, even people in their 20s, 30s, and 40s. Researchers estimate about 10 to 15% of all strokes now happen in younger adults and many did not recognize the warning signs until it's too late. So, joining us this morning is Dr. Heba Hefzy to talk about why this is all happening. Thanks, doc, for joining us.

[00:00:57]>> Thanks for having me. So, let's just start with, you know, when you're 20, you're not thinking about a potential stroke.

[00:01:02]>> No. So, what are some of the signs that we should be looking out for? Uh well, I'm glad you started with that because this is one of the most important public awareness uh endeavors and that is for everybody to be aware of stroke signs and symptoms at any age and we use the acronym B FAST to help identify stroke symptoms.

[00:01:22]>> Okay. Um it's something really easy to commit to memory. The B stands for balance because stroke symptoms can present as imbalance. The E stands for eyes because strokes can affect your vision. The F stands for face, looking for facial asymmetry or a facial droop.

[00:01:40]The A stands for arms, so you want to check if one arm is weaker than the other. The S stands for speech because strokes can affect the way that someone talks or how they sound when they talk.

[00:01:52]And lastly, the T stands for time because it is time to call 911. Time is brain, and if anybody is ever seeing or having a stroke symptom, the number one thing they have to do first is to call 911.

[00:02:05]>> Why do you think so many of us dismiss some of these symptoms? Well, I think especially in younger adults, they don't feel like stroke can affect them. And the reason one of the reasons for increasing stroke prevalence in young adults is because they are not going to the doctor and having routine health screenings and conditions like high blood pressure are going undetected. And high blood pressure is actually the number one risk factor for stroke. So, it is very important for everybody in their 20s, 30s, 40s onward to go to the doctor every year for routine health screenings to look for problems that that may exist that they're not aware of like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes. How concerned are you with the way the numbers are trending?

[00:02:48]I find it very concerning. And when we look at why these conditions even exist in young adults, one of the major contributing factors is an increasingly sedentary lifestyle. And it, you know, I think people don't realize that even 5 to 10 minutes of aerobic exercise can reduce your cardiovascular mortality by up to 50%. So, we're not talking about going to the gym for an hour every day.

[00:03:13]These are very small interventions that have a very big impact.

[00:03:17]>> Also, I think something as simple as just going outside for a walk.

[00:03:20]>> Exactly.

[00:03:20]>> Without headphones. Exactly.

[00:03:22]>> You You're in nature. I mean, how long would you say maybe a 10-15 minute walk?

[00:03:26]>> Exactly. A 5, 10, 15-minute walk.

[00:03:29]Um for people who are unable to get outside, whether it's because of their schedule, where they live, the weather, um you can do air squats in your house.

[00:03:38]Just physical movement of any sort uh can reduce your risk of stroke dramatically. How do we get this message out? Because when I think back to when I was in my 20s, this would have just I would have been like, "This is not going to affect me." And I would have kept going. How do we get that message to the people who need to hear it?

[00:03:53]>> Well, I think things like this definitely having, you know, people in college address college students so that at that age they're already thinking about it. Yeah, and I think primary care doctors have a really important role in talking to their patients about these things because that's often the first person who's going to detect a risk factor for stroke.

[00:04:15]>> Like what are you seeing?

[00:04:17]Well, I mean because I'm the specialist I see usually people who've already had a stroke and I am seeing a large increase in strokes in young patients and it is exactly why we said because they don't believe that they can get unhealthy. So they're not going to a doctor for annual checkups. I'm often seeing someone who's had a stroke in their 40s who has never been to a doctor. Never? Or hasn't been to a doctor in 20 years. Wow. And you know, we have patients who are smoking, who just don't think that anything bad can happen from unhealthy habits, but they add up, they build up and ultimately unfortunately can lead to stroke. And I guess they're adding up even quicker because I feel like a lot of us think, oh, that's something that happens, that's a concern for later in life. But if it's something you're seeing in patients who are in their 20s, now this is building quickly.

[00:05:06]>> It is building quickly. So what would your takeaway be? If somebody's watching this, what do you want them to know?

[00:05:11]I want them to know that strokes can affect any age, that it is important to recognize symptoms of stroke, and that if you see them or feel them yourself, you must call 911 because we can reverse stroke symptoms if you get to the hospital in time. Well, let's end on an uplifting note because that's great.

[00:05:27]Yeah, we could reverse this, but you need to get there on time. Yes, time is brain. Thank you. So time is brain. I love that. Okay, thank you so much, doc.

[00:05:35]Thank you.