Early Strokes Leave Young Adults with Long Lasting Disability, Study

Stroke is known to have a devastating impact on life. Adding to the fact, a latest study suggests that most of the young adults, who survive an early stroke, live with a long lasting disability.

Stroke, the second leading cause of disability after dementia, is triggered by the disruption in the flow of blood to the brain. It can be fatal and always has lingering effects. Analyzing the impact of stroke in young adults, a latest study discovered that nearly one-third of the young people who survived a stroke before age 50 lived with long lasting disability.

According to the study, nearly 10 percent of the stroke occurs in 18 to 50-year-olds. In the United States, stroke is the fourth leading cause of death and nearly 800,000 Americans suffer a stroke annually. A stroke kills brain tissues as blood-supply to the brain is cut. It initially starts with a sudden feeling of numbness or weakness on half side of the body, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"Even if patients seem relatively well recovered with respect to motor function, there may still be immense 'invisible' damage that leads to loss of independence," said Frank-Erik de Leeuw, Ph.D., associate professor of neurology at the Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Center in the Netherlands.

For this study, researchers analyzed the functioning of nearly 722 people, who suffered a first stroke between age 18 and 50.  The subjects were followed for an average of nine years.

After nine years, nearly one third of the people with moderate disability needed assistance to carry out daily activities. Most of them found it difficult to perform routine tasks like caring for themselves, doing household tasks and managing finances.

The researchers also noticed that the rate of poor functional outcome and the need for assistance varied mainly with the type of stroke. If a person suffered a transient ischemic stroke (also called a mini stroke) they had nearly 16.8 percent functional disability and 10.8 percent poor skills. If the person suffered an ischemic stroke that occurred due to the presence of a blood clot in the brain, they had nearly 36.5 percent of functional disability and 14.6 percent found it difficult to live independently.

When a person suffered a hemorrhagic stroke that occurs due to bleeding in the brain, nearly 49.3 percent of them had functional disability and nearly 18.2 percent of them had poor skills.

"Most doctors view young stroke patients as a group with great recovery opportunities," said de Leeuw, senior author of the study. "But our study is the first to show these almost life-long effects of stroke on performance. This is important to communicate right from the start to patients and families."

People, who suffered a second stroke during the study period, fared worst.  Nearly 28.7 percent of the participants had recurrent strokes.

The finding was documented in the journal Stroke.