A stroke can be a life-altering, and sometimes life-ending, event.1 And having a stroke isn’t just a concern for older adults. A decade ago, 38% of people who suffered a stroke were younger than 65, and the age for risk continues to get younger thanks to a variety of factors, including diabetes and heart disease becoming more prevalent among younge... See more

And while the number of new stroke cases diagnosed yearly has dropped in older age groups over the last ten to 20 years, it has doubled in those under 55, say researchers from the University of Oxford, who recently launched a study to try to understand the reasons behind this rise.

‘These type of strokes more commonly cause symptoms such as dizziness, difficulty speaking and visual disturbance, which don’t always get picked up using the common “FAST” check,’ she explains. The acronym recognises the common signs of stroke: facial weakness, arm weakness and speech problems.