Strike back against your surprise stroke risk
Every year, approximately 120,000 Americans under age 50 suffer a stroke -- often with no obvious risk factors, until now. A study published in the journal Stroke looked at 1,000 people ages 18 to 49 -- about half had suffered an ischemic (clot-caused) stroke that seemed to come out of the blue, the others were healthy. It found that having one non-traditional risk factor, such as migraine with aura, kidney or liver disease, blood disorders, autoimmune diseases or cancer, boosted a woman's risk of stroke by a mind-blowing 70% and, in most folks, each additional non-traditional risk factor increased stroke risk by another 70%. Very risky business.
In contrast, the addition of each traditionally recognized risk factor, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, elevated lousy LDL cholesterol, smoking, obesity, inactivity, stress and depression, increased most people's stroke risk by around 40%.
This means that if you are younger than 50 and have any of the non-traditional risk factors, it's important to discuss your potential for a stroke with your doctor. You want to pay attention to inflammatory molecules and factors related to blood clotting that blood tests can spot and aggressively manage migraine, create a plan for treating liver, kidney or cancer-related issues, or control symptoms of any autoimmune disease or blood disorder. It's also important not to smoke anything, avoid highly processed foods, get regular exercise and not drink too much -- they all make those unusual risk factors riskier. And for even more help protecting your cardiovascular system, check out the anti-inflammatory powers of therapeutic plasma exchange.
Health pioneer Michael Roizen, M.D., is chief wellness officer emeritus at the Cleveland Clinic and author of four No. 1 New York Times bestsellers. Check out his latest, "The Great Age Reboot: Cracking the Longevity Code for a Younger Tomorrow," and find out more at www.longevityplaybook.com. Email your health and wellness questions to Dr. Mike at questions@longevityplaybook.com.
(c)2023 Michael Roizen, M.D.
Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.
(c) 2025 Michael Roizen, M.D. Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.
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