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The number of people in their 40s and 50s being afflicted by strokes is soaring, with obesity and sedentary lifestyles thought to be behind the rise.
The Stroke Association described
the increase as alarming and shocking and warned that the cost of treatment - already at ยฃ9bn a year - would increase.
The trend is
"a sad indictment" of the nation's health, the association said, and urged people to be more aware of the risk factors.
Official NHS data shows that the number of
men aged 40 to 54 in England who were hospitalised after a stroke grew by 46% from 4,260 in 2000 to 6,221 last year. The figure for
women of the same age was 4,604, up by
30% from 3,529.
Hospital admission data reveals a
25% jump in the number of people aged 20 to 64, suffering a stroke between 2000 and 2014.
"There is an alarming increase in the numbers of people having a stroke in working age", said Jon Barrick, the charity's chief executive. "These figures show that stroke can no longer be seen as a disease of older people. As the figures show, it can happen to anyone at any time".
Rising numbers of overweight people help explain the increase among the middle-aged, he said. "We've known for some time that obesity levels in the UK have been on the rise, putting thousands at increased risk of a stroke. This goes some way in explaining these shocking stroke rates, which are a sad indictment of the current state of the UK's health.
"There are now real concerns that excess weight could replace smoking as the major killer of adults in the near future."
Research shows that being obese increases the chances of having a stroke related to a blood clot by 64%, although high blood pressure is still the biggest risk.
Barrick advised those at risk to take more exercise, eat a healthier diet and get their blood pressure checked regularly.
The overall stroke incidence rate fell from 141.97 per 100,000 people in 1990 to 115.50 per 100,000 in 2010, partly as result of the fall in smoking rates in recent decades. But the charity said the rise in hospital admission figures was due to the growing and ageing population and fact that the population's health had deteriorated.
They also reflect the fact that hospitals have changed their admission criteria for stroke over recent years, which mean many more sufferers now receive emergency treatment. "But the progress we've made in transforming the way stroke is treated will be lost unless people take control of their health", said Barrick.
The number of UK deaths from strokes fell from 87,974 in 1990 to 40,282 in 2013, thanks to greater awareness of its symptoms and better treatment, such as clot-busting drugs.
A spokeswoman for NHS England said: "Previous figures have shown a decline in the overall number of incidents of stroke. But we know certain factors such as diabetes and obesity increase the risk of stroke for people of all age groups".
The NHS "five year forward" review, a blueprint for the service's future, made clear that much more work was needed to prevent strokes from occurring in the first place, she added.
The charity warned that the rise would lead to more middle-aged people suffering a "heavy financial impact" as a result. Loss of income due to death and disability caused by a stroke has been estimated to cost those affected ยฃ1.3bn a year.
"Stroke survivors unable to return to work can struggle to cope with a fall in income, increased household bills and a benefits system which does not recognise the full impact of stroke," Barrick said.
He highlighted a new survey of employers' attitudes towards stroke by the charity which found that only 5% recognised cognitive difficulties as a symptom and 42% would be reluctant to hire a stroke survivor because of worries that they could not perform their role satisfactorily.
TheDepartment of Health refused to comment directly on the rise but said:"Strokes can have a devastating impact on people and their families. Adopting a healthier lifestyle, like plenty of exercise and eating the right food, is really important to reduce the risk of stroke."
The department's Act F.A.S.T. Campaign was intended to save lives by alerting people to the symptoms, so that they could get potentially life-saving treatment quickly, she added.
Reader Comments
Everyone and I do mean everyone, is nutritionally deficient. The number one reason for a stroke is the lack of essential fatty acids. We have been socialized to believe the Medical Doctors know what they are talking about. MD doctors are not trained in nutrition. What you get from MD doctors is, eat a low fat low cholesterol, diet and make sure you get your seven servings of fruits and vegetables, oh and don't forget your fiber. Carbohydrates, fats and proteins are not the only things involved in nutrition, there are vitamins and minerals. Minerals are the most important nutrition you can put in your body, without them you cannot utilize carbohydrate, fats and proteins. Nobody gets the minerals you need to stay healthy, that's why you must supplement. This is the area where MD doctors have no clue about keeping you healthy, because most of our chronic diseases are caused by mineral efficiencies. Here is an example: if you are type II diabetic and are seeing a MD doctor, you will be a diabetic the rest of your life. If you go to a Naturopathic doctor you will be an ex-diabetic in as little as 2 to 6 months, because type II diabetes is a nutritional deficiency, it has been know since 1958 that chromium and vanadium (and about 23 trace minerals) are the cause. (not all Naturopaths are created equally, I would stick with graduates from Bastyr University, Kenmore WA or National College of Natural Medicine Portland Oregon).
Your body is hard wired to fix itself,and keep diseases away you just have to consume the right nutrients. Since the MD doctors are clueless about nutrition, how can we expect them to keep us healthy? Since they are not nutritionally trained, their advice does more harm than good. If you go to an MD for acid reflux, they will give a protein pump inhibitor. Your reflux will go away, but you will be on the pathway to your next disease. Reflux is caused by weak stomach acid, MD doctors believe you have too much stomach acid, the reduction in stomach acid will restrict your ability to properly digest your food, especially minerals ( minerals require strong stomach acid to digest, otherwise your flushing them down the toilet). Without proper digestion, you will never absorb all the nutrient and undigested food will cause mechanical damage to the villi in the small intestine. Since MD doctors are nutritionally clueless, they don't know all you need for strong stomach acid is salt and the proper amount of calcium. Since everyone is low on calcium, it is no wonder that so many people have acid reflux, and it shouldn't shock anybody that Protein Pump Inhibitors are one of the top selling drugs in the world. Folks the list of MD doctor failures goes on and on, for any chronic disease, find a good Naturopath (or if all else fails, go to a good veterinarian) and get on the road to health recovery. When ever possible, please advocate for Naturopath and Holistic doctors.
In my previous post I forgot to mention, if you want prevent a stroke, consume essential fatty acids daily. Also stop consuming the Ten Bad Foods (a list may be obtained at NOMDFORME.COM)