Yes

Actions

Doctors: More younger people having strokes

Posted at 7:47 AM, Jul 20, 2017
and last updated 2017-07-20 07:47:14-04

Dr. Anmar Razak with Sparrow Hospital has saved the lives of stroke victims time and time again.

"Stroke is the leading cause of disability in the united states," Dr. Razak said. “You can imagine a stroke can leave you bed ridden or wheelchair bound. And you're suddenly a different person."

He says he's not surprised to see more young people are having strokes.

"Just because you're young, you're not immune from having a stroke,” Dr. Razak said. “Especially in today's day and age where we're seeing an increase in unhealthy diet and unhealthy habits."

He says those habits like lack of exercise, overeating, smoking and drinking can lead to big risk stroke risk factors. And the tricky thing that makes them so dangerous is that you might not even know you have them.

"They're painless,” Dr. Razak said. “You don't feel them. You don't sense them. And you don't worry about them."

They're problems like high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes.

"Recognizing them is very important,” Dr. Razak said. “And you'd recognize them by maintaining a routine regular follow up with your doctor."

Which he says not a lot of younger people do. He recommends having regular checkups even if you're feeling fine. You can even check your blood pressure at most pharmacies. The good news is sometimes you won't even need medicine to reverse some the risk factors.

“You don't necessarily have to be on medication for the rest of your life,” Dr. Razak said. “Sometimes you can manage it with good exercise regiment, weight reduction, good diet."

Because at the end of the day, you have to take care of your own health. And it's better to be safe… than sorry.