Scientists from Rutgers University in the United States have discovered a surprising link between a person's birth year and their likelihood of having a stroke.
Stroke claims the lives of between 6 and 7 million people worldwide each year, making it one of the leading causes of death and disability globally.
In a recent study, researchers analyzed data from more than 225,000 stroke cases and found that people born between 1965 and 1974 are nearly twice as likely to suffer a stroke compared to those born between 1945 and 1954. The results also showed that the latter group had the lowest rates of cerebral hemorrhage.
In contrast, the highest levels of risk were found in people born before 1945.
John P. Costis, a professor at Rutgers University and head of the research team that conducted the study, explained in the Journal of the American Heart Association that these results are not due to mysterious or unexplained factors, but can be explained from a clear medical perspective.
He pointed out that one of the main reasons is that lipid-lowering drugs, such as statins, as well as modern treatments for high blood pressure, did not become widely available until after the middle of the last century, which affected levels of prevention and treatment between different generations.
He added that since the 1960s the world has witnessed a remarkable rise in obesity and diabetes rates, which are among the most prominent risk factors associated with cardiovascular diseases, which in turn are among the most important causes of strokes.
He also pointed to the increasing phenomenon of self-treatment and the neglect by some patients of doctors’ recommendations and prescribed medications, in addition to the growing reliance on unreliable medical information via the Internet, which may negatively affect public health and limit the full benefit of medical progress.
According to the study, people aged 60 to 70 appear to have benefited the most from medical advances and modern preventive measures, while the risks remain high for those over 72 due to aging, as well as for younger age groups aged 40 to 55 due to increasing lifestyle-related risk factors.
Stroke is the third leading cause of death worldwide and the leading cause of long-term disability. An estimated 12 million people suffer a stroke each year, and between 6 and 7 million die from it, meaning a new stroke occurs approximately every minute and a half globally.
