Young Stroke Awareness Information

Teenagers and young adults might often believe that they are not at risk for having a stroke. But, there really is no such thing as being “too young” to have a stroke. In fact, 5-20 percent of strokes occur in teens and young adults. This is worrisome as stroke is in the top 10 leading causes of childhood death. What’s worse is people who have a stroke have a 15-30 percent chance of getting some form of long-term disability. This can be particularly detrimental for young adults as it presents a huge financial burden and detracts from the time able to be spent on work.

As such, it is important to recognize the signs of stroke. Remember the acronym “FAST.” F - Face, ask the person to smile; does one side of their face drop? A - Arms, ask the person to raise both arms with their palms facing upwards; does one arm drift downward? S - Speech, ask the person to repeat a simple phrase; does their speech sound weird or is it slurred? T - Time, record the time and call 911. Every minute counts for stroke care!