KUALA LUMPUR, June 8 — Stroke, once commonly associated with older adults, is becoming an increasing concern as nearly 40 per cent of all stroke patients in Malaysia are now from younger age groups.
Canselor Tuanku Muhriz Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) Hospital's consultant neurologist and stroke specialist Assoc Prof Datuk Dr Wan Asyraf Wan Zaidi said that current trends show a significant rise in cases among middle-aged individuals, while the overall number of stroke patients continues to increase each year.
“Patients are becoming younger nowadays. The youngest patient I have treated was 23 years old. This is quite different from the past.
"As a consultant specialist, I see this happening more and more frequently. Nearly 40 per cent of all stroke patients are around the age of 40 to 50.
“By definition, a young stroke refers to a stroke occurring in someone aged 45 or below. We are seeing more and more of these cases, as forty per cent is not a small figure,” he said.
Dr Asyraf was speaking to Media Selangor after delivering a lecture in conjunction with Brain Health Day, organised by UKM’s Faculty of Medicine on May 12.
He added that stroke, which is now the third leading cause of death in Malaysia, is also regarded as a silent killer because attacks can occur while a person is asleep.
A stroke is similar to a heart attack in that it occurs suddenly and is caused by problems within the body's blood vessel system.
“Like other blood vessel disorders, a stroke can occur during sleep or shortly after waking up. It is similar to a heart attack; the difference is simply the location of the affected blood vessels — one occurs in the heart and the other in the brain,” Dr Asyraf said.
He added that as many as 80 per cent of stroke cases can actually be prevented through healthy lifestyle changes.
The Malaysian Stroke Council deputy president said strokes are often the result of complications arising from chronic illnesses such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and excess body weight, all of which can damage blood vessels.
“If we identify these risks early, before a stroke occurs, we can prevent it from happening. Most patients will say that the stroke happened suddenly.
"However, in reality, they had never undergone health screening beforehand,” Dr Asyraf said.
