Could this be the culprit behind the mysterious outbreak of strokes in young people?

Stroke is a leading cause of death and disability worldwide. Some known causes of stroke include high cholesterol, high blood pressure, atrial fibrillation, obesity, heart disease, diabetes, smoking...

However, witnessing a sudden increase in unexplained strokes in healthy young men under 50 in recent years, scientists have been puzzled.

Now researchers have found evidence that smoking may be the culprit behind these strokes, according to medical website Medical Express.

In recent years there has been a sharp increase in unexplained strokes in young men.

New research published in the American Academy of Neurology's research journal Neurology Open Access found that smoking, especially heavy smoking, is associated with unexplained strokes in young people, primarily men aged 45 to 49.

Dr Phillip Ferdinand, from Keele University (UK), a member of the American Academy of Neurology, said: “Recent research has shown that young people are having an increase in unexplained strokes, so any potential links need to be assessed. The new study has found that smoking may be a major factor.

Researchers looked at 546 people aged 18 to 49 who had had a stroke of unknown cause, along with 546 people who did not have a stroke as controls.

Participants answered questions about their smoking habits, drinking habits, exercise habits, and other health conditions. Researchers used this data to find out which factors might be linked to unexplained strokes.

Now researchers have found evidence that smoking may be the culprit behind strokes.

The results found that smokers were twice as likely to have an unexplained stroke as non-smokers.

The researchers also found that those at highest risk were men, with a risk more than three times higher, and those aged 45 to 49 had a risk nearly four times higher.

Notably, heavy smokers have a four times higher risk of unexplained stroke. And this risk is especially high in men, according to Medical Express.

The findings suggest that efforts to prevent smoking, especially heavy smoking, may be an important way to help reduce the number of strokes in young people, said Dr Ferdinand.

Smoking increases your risk of stroke by narrowing the arteries that supply blood to your body. This narrowing increases the risk that a blood clot can cut off blood supply to your brain, causing a stroke. Quitting smoking will help reduce this risk.

In addition to smoking, other factors that increase the risk of unexplained stroke in young people include stress, poor diet, lack of exercise and heavy alcohol consumption - all of which contribute to high blood pressure that causes stroke.

Additionally, some experts have suggested that underdiagnosed conditions such as atrial fibrillation are going unnoticed in younger age groups, also contributing to the cause.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/phai-chang-day-la-thu-pham-lam-bung-phat-dot-quy-bi-an-o-nguoi-tre-185250220234440279.htm