What Young People Should Know About Stroke Risks

Stroke is a medical emergency that happens when blood flow to the brain is interrupted. It can happen to anyone at any age, but it's more common in older adults. However, young people can also have strokes. In fact, the number of strokes in young people is increasing.

There are a number of risk factors for stroke that young people should be aware of. These include:

* High blood pressure

* High cholesterol

* Diabetes

* Smoking

* Obesity

* Family history of stroke

If you have any of these risk factors, it's important to talk to your doctor about ways to reduce your risk of stroke.

Some of the things you can do to reduce your risk of stroke include:

* Eating a healthy diet

* Getting regular exercise

* Quitting smoking

* Managing your blood pressure

* Managing your cholesterol

* Controlling your diabetes

If you have any symptoms of stroke, it's important to seek medical attention immediately. These symptoms include:

* Sudden weakness or numbness on one side of the body

* Sudden difficulty speaking or understanding speech

* Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes

* Sudden dizziness or loss of balance

* Sudden severe headache

If you experience any of these symptoms, call 911 immediately.