One In Four People Will Have Stroke At Least Once, Including People In Their 20s

[haidut]

Yet another great indication of the "improving" health of the Western world (and China). Those geographical areas saw the biggest risk increases over the last quarter century, and in some of those areas the lifetime risk of stroke reached 40%+. China took the "crown" in the male competition while Western Europe "won" the female one. The reason for the lower overall risk (~25%) worldwide is that other geographical areas like Latin America and Africa, which saw a strong drop in lifetime risk. Perhaps the saddest part of the study is the low age at which the risk of stroke dramatically jumped and as such was included in the study - 25 years old. In past studies, risk of stroke did not measurably increase until the mid-40s and even 50s. This study matches well previous posts on dramatic decline of health of the youngest portion of the population.
Stroke Rates Have Almost Doubled In Young Adults
Breaking News: Colorectal Cancer Rates In Young People Have Doubled
Rates Of Diabetes I And II Are Rapidly Rising In Young Children And Teens
Health Of Young People Has Declined Strongly In The Last 30 Years

Overall, I think the evidence points to any person below the age of 50 being essentially 20-25 years older biologically than they are chronologically. But nothing to worry about here folks - personalized medicine and Big Data will save us. /s

Stroke risk: 1 in 4 globally at risk after the age of 25 - CNN
"...One in four people globally will have a stroke at age 25 or older, according to a new study published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine. Researchers from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation studied global, regional and country-specific lifetime risks of stroke in 1990 and again in 2016, then compared them. They found that the risk of suffering a stroke from the age of 25 onward was 24.9%, up from 22.8% in 1990. This includes risk of first time stroke, ischemic stroke and hemorrhagic stroke, the researchers explain in the study. "We calculated the lifetime risk only among persons 25 years of age or older because incidence rates of stroke among younger persons are low and are less dependent on modifiable risk factors and on the characteristics of health systems, which are associated with stroke burden in older populations," the study says.

"...Those at greatest risk, the report found, were men in China -- whose risk went up to 41.1% -- and women in Latvia -- whose risk went up to 41.7%. China was also the country which had the greatest difference in risk between men and women -- where for women the risk was 36.7%. Meanwhile, the risk in Central Asia, southern and tropical Latin America, high-income Asia--Pacific, and southern sub-Saharan Africa decreased significantly between 1990 and 2016. Sub-Saharan Africa had with the lowest risk of stroke."

 

[lvysaur]

the risk in Central Asia, southern and tropical Latin America, high-income Asia--Pacific, and southern sub-Saharan Africa decreased significantly between 1990 and 2016

Intriguing, so it's not the "high income" lifestyle that's causing it, but rather something unique to Europe/China, but absent in Japan/Korea/Taiwan.

Also I wonder what a Latvian would think of a Bulgarian calling his country "western" lol

I just checked the article, and the US and western Europe are quite lower than central/eastern Europe. When I think China and east Europe, I think developing nation reaction perhaps? All the pollutant emissions? They said central Europe too, but for all I know that could refer to Poland or Hungary rather than Germany/Switzerland.

 

[haidut]

Intriguing, so it's not the "high income" lifestyle that's causing it, but rather something unique to Europe/China, but absent in Japan/Korea/Taiwan.

Also I wonder what a Latvian would think of a Bulgarian calling his country "western" lol

I just checked the article, and the US and western Europe are quite lower than central/eastern Europe. When I think China and east Europe, I think developing nation reaction perhaps? All the pollutant emissions? They said central Europe too, but for all I know that could refer to Poland or Hungary rather than Germany/Switzerland.

You are right, I should have called Latvia Northern Europe even though all the Baltic countries would be quite thrilled and happy to be called Western Europe They have been working quite hard to dissociate themselves from the perception of being Russia's satellites, get accepted into EU, and be viewed as more developed than their Eastern European counterparts.
Yeah, I think the race to "catch up" to more advanced countries is causing a lot of stress, pollution, and all kinds of other environmental conditions for increased CVD. Alcohol abuse is also traditionally high in those parts of the world, while drug use if typically more prevalent in more developed countries. Cost and cultural acceptance mostly drive these distinctions.
This study present Western Europe and USA in more favorable light but the other ones I linked to earlier in the thread are not at all positive. Alcohol abuse is now on par with the heavy drinking areas like Russia and Eastern Europe. This is what drives most of the increased middle-age white mortality in the US.
Millennials are dying of alcohol-related liver disease at increasing rates
Why the white middle class is dying faster, explained in 6 charts
Recent trends in US mortality in early and middle adulthood: racial/ethnic disparities in inter-cohort patterns

 

[lvysaur]

This study present Western Europe and USA in more favorable light but the other ones I linked to earlier in the thread are not at all positive. Alcohol abuse is now on par with the heavy drinking areas like Russia and Eastern Europe. This is what drives most of the increased middle-age white mortality in the US.

Sad stuff. The USA definitely sticks out, but another small trend is that it's the Anglo settler states which have upward trends at all--Canada and Aus both have slight increases in death rates since 2000.

 

[Owen B]

Yet another great indication of the "improving" health of the Western world (and China). Those geographical areas saw the biggest risk increases over the last quarter century, and in some of those areas the lifetime risk of stroke reached 40%+. China took the "crown" in the male competition while Western Europe "won" the female one. The reason for the lower overall risk (~25%) worldwide is that other geographical areas like Latin America and Africa, which saw a strong drop in lifetime risk. Perhaps the saddest part of the study is the low age at which the risk of stroke dramatically jumped and as such was included in the study - 25 years old. In past studies, risk of stroke did not measurably increase until the mid-40s and even 50s. This study matches well previous posts on dramatic decline of health of the youngest portion of the population.
Stroke Rates Have Almost Doubled In Young Adults
Breaking News: Colorectal Cancer Rates In Young People Have Doubled
Rates Of Diabetes I And II Are Rapidly Rising In Young Children And Teens
Health Of Young People Has Declined Strongly In The Last 30 Years

Overall, I think the evidence points to any person below the age of 50 being essentially 20-25 years older biologically than they are chronologically. But nothing to worry about here folks - personalized medicine and Big Data will save us. /s

Stroke risk: 1 in 4 globally at risk after the age of 25 - CNN
"...One in four people globally will have a stroke at age 25 or older, according to a new study published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine. Researchers from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation studied global, regional and country-specific lifetime risks of stroke in 1990 and again in 2016, then compared them. They found that the risk of suffering a stroke from the age of 25 onward was 24.9%, up from 22.8% in 1990. This includes risk of first time stroke, ischemic stroke and hemorrhagic stroke, the researchers explain in the study. "We calculated the lifetime risk only among persons 25 years of age or older because incidence rates of stroke among younger persons are low and are less dependent on modifiable risk factors and on the characteristics of health systems, which are associated with stroke burden in older populations," the study says.

"...Those at greatest risk, the report found, were men in China -- whose risk went up to 41.1% -- and women in Latvia -- whose risk went up to 41.7%. China was also the country which had the greatest difference in risk between men and women -- where for women the risk was 36.7%. Meanwhile, the risk in Central Asia, southern and tropical Latin America, high-income Asia--Pacific, and southern sub-Saharan Africa decreased significantly between 1990 and 2016. Sub-Saharan Africa had with the lowest risk of stroke."

When you mentioned "Big Data" and medicine in the same sentence, it reminded me of how difficult it is for me to wrap my mind around the connection.

Big Data got so big, so fast it's a little overwhelming. What's your take on it today and the future implications of it? Of course there are always economic and political connections, but how about philosophically? Doesn't it seem like the ultimate form of determinism? Doesn't it seem like there's the potential there to make genetic, receptor and neuroscience determinism pale in comparison?

Aren't they already talking about medibots - did I just say that? - designed to be motoring around inside your body making all kind of automatic medical diagnoses and treatments?

 

[Jackrabbit]

I wonder how much just plain social stress plays a role. When I think of modern day Chinese men I recall an episode of vice that I watched that revealed the amount of pressure on Chinese males to make high incomes because there are millions more men than women so the competition for females is fierce and no doubt pretty ruthless.

Then Latvia I imagine to be struggling under male authoritarian societal patterns, probably established quite a bit by Russian dominance. And although you’d think Russian women would be worse off, imagine being a satellite of Russia, so you’re automatically going to feel a certain amount of inequality ; which could easily be worse on women than men because as men struggling with inferiority issues as well as resentment , I can imagine that is being taken out on the females to an extent. Nothing scarier than an oppressed male. Don’t get me wrong, an oppressed female can be quite dangerous in her own right, but I think due to the male’s automatic physical dominance, it can so easily lead to violence, especially in a culture where alcoholism is common if not the norm.

 

[Fractality]

You can have a stroke and not even know it.

 

[haidut]

When you mentioned "Big Data" and medicine in the same sentence, it reminded me of how difficult it is for me to wrap my mind around the connection.

Big Data got so big, so fast it's a little overwhelming. What's your take on it today and the future implications of it? Of course there are always economic and political connections, but how about philosophically? Doesn't it seem like the ultimate form of determinism? Doesn't it seem like there's the potential there to make genetic, receptor and neuroscience determinism pale in comparison?

Aren't they already talking about medibots - did I just say that? - designed to be motoring around inside your body making all kind of automatic medical diagnoses and treatments?

I don't think any big discoveries will come out of Big Data projects. Maybe some insight into distribution of disease, seasonal and geographic patterns, optimized drug delivery, etc. But I don't think it will increase "mutual information", which is the hallmark of true intelligence and source of new knowledge. And I definitely don't think it will lead to curing some of the big diseases of our time such as diabetes, CVD, cancer, or dementias.
Science Is Stagnant, No Real Progress Since Early 20th Century