Joel N. Swerdel, lead author of the study said in a press release,"The incidence of stroke has decreased significantly overall since 1950, due to the advancement of medicine. However, we found that trend to be reversing in younger generations where obesity and diabetes are likely causing an increase in cardiovascular disease." While Swerdel is now a manager of epidemiology analytics at a pharmaceutical company, he led the study under the direction of John B. Kostis, John G. Detwiler Professor of Cardiology and director of the Cardiovascular Institute of New Jersey.
Using data gleaned from the Myocardial Infarction Data Acquisition System (MIDAS), a statewide database of all admissions to non-federal hospitals in New Jersey the team analyzed more than 225,000 records of stroke data compiled between 1995 and 2014. The data was divided into five age groups, each including a 10-year age range of patients. Out of these five groups, only one age bracket showed a reduction in stroke and it was those who were born between 1945 and 1954 and who are now between 60 and 70 years old. Those born in the 20 years before 1945 had higher rates of stroke likely because statin drugs and blood pressure medications were not as advanced when these patients were being treated. It’s the increase in the number of strokes in the group of patients in their 30s and 40s that was troubling.
Kostis, who was the principal investigator of the study explained, "A higher incidence of stroke in individuals born before 1945 was not surprising, as they did not benefit from the availability of lipid-lowering drugs, such as statins and anti-hypertensive therapy, as did younger generations. However, the increasing incidence of stroke in the youngest generation--those who are between the ages of 35 and 50--is alarming and merits further research."
The team cited factors such as poor adherence to treatment, the rising rates of obesity and subsequently diabetes and an increase in smoking and alcohol use in as possible reasons for the uptick in strokes in this younger population. While the database was limited to patients in New Jersey, the team felt it was a sample diverse enough to apply to most parts of the country. No differences in trends were found between males and females or by race or ethnic background. The video below includes an interview with a cardiologist about this alarming trend.
Sources: American Heart Association, Stroke Association.org, Journal of the American Heart Association, New York Daily News