A recent survey, commissioned by the Ronald Reagan University of California, showed that in America 75 percent of young adults under 45 do not know the symptoms of a stroke, and would not seek medical attention immediately if they presented.
From 1,009 people that have been included in the surveys, 466 of them were under 45. Mostly younger people’s response was to delay medical attention without realizing the reduced amount of time they could have to act if they suffered from a stroke. Many said that they would likely “wait out” the symptoms.
The doctors have said that there is only a three-hour opportunity of being treated successfully after the episode starts. At this time the doctors could be able to reverse the damage by restoring blood flow to the brain. If that is not the case, the damage could lead to death or permanent disability, as reported by Today Health & Wellness.
The stroke can also be known as cerebrovascular accident (CVA) and the symptoms, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), are weakness in the face, arm or leg especially in just one side of the body, trouble speaking, seeing and walking and a severe headache. The signs of a stroke could be different in everyone, especially if they are male or female.
Even though many young people believe that strokes only happen in older fellows, statistics demonstrated that the deadly brain episode among younger people has increased by 53 percent since 1990.
“Believe it or not, it is on the order of minutes or hours when somebody has to seek medical attention” said Dr. David Liebeskind, a professor of neurology and director of the neurovascular imaging research core at UCLA. “There is simply no time to wait. It is a message that we clearly need to get to younger people more effectively,” he added.
When it came to the survey’s results, Dr Liebeskind was not at all surprised. He addressed the result as “in line with what we have been seeing”.
Source: Today