More and more middle-aged people are dying from stroke. Experts list three possible factors that may cause stroke

Deaths from stroke have been increasing in adults aged 45 to 64 in recent years A new report From the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Stroke An intracerebral hemorrhage occurs when blood flow to the brain is blocked or when bleeding suddenly occurs in the brain. If left untreated, it can cause lasting brain damage, long-term disability, or death.

The CDC found that stroke death rates among middle-aged adults declined between 2002 and 2012, but then increased 7% between 2012 and 2019 and then increased another 12% by 2021. By 2022, stroke death rates among men decreased slightly (by 2%) and there was “no significant change” among women.

The CDC report did not explore possible reasons for the surge in stroke deaths. However, experts tell Yahoo Lifestyle there may be some explanations.

Reason 1: Increased risk factors for stroke—especially high blood pressure

Diabetes, obesity and Hyperlipidemia Experts say the incidence of hypercholesterolemia, also known as high cholesterol, has increased among middle-aged people, as has bad lifestyle habits such as drinking, unhealthy diet and lack of exercise, all of which are classic risk factors for stroke.

“These risk factors can lead to Atherosclerosiswhich is a common cause of stroke in older patients. However, we found an increase in these same risk factors for stroke in a younger patient group,” Dr. Van CaprioHe’s a vascular neurologist at Northwestern Medicine and the medical director of the Comprehensive Stroke Center, he tells Yahoo Lifestyle.

Caprio explained that an increase in risk factors may lead to more and more severe strokes, which in turn can lead to higher mortality and morbidity.

One of the most significant risk factors contributing to this growth is hypertensionor high blood pressure.

“High blood pressure is the most important risk factor for stroke, and the prevalence of high blood pressure has increased in middle-aged adults,” Adam Vaughn, an epidemiologist at the Division of Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, tells Yahoo Life. Vaughn adds that more than half of middle-aged people with high blood pressure have “Uncontrolled high blood pressure” — meaning their high blood pressure is either untreated or not responding to treatment.

Dr. Mona BahusThe medical director of the Brain Rescue Unit at Johns Hopkins Medicine added that what makes high blood pressure so dangerous is that it’s “fairly silent.”

“Unless you measure your blood pressure, you don’t really know you have it until it’s too late,” she tells Yahoo Lifestyle.

Reason 2: Missing a doctor’s appointment

Vaughan noted that socioeconomic disparities may also be to blame. Limited access to health careleading to undiagnosed or uncontrolled risk factors and widespread delays in treatment,” he said.

COVID-19 may also be contributing to the increase in stroke mortality. Early in the pandemic, stroke mortality spiked 12%, likely because more people missed doctor appointments and preventive screenings that could have identified key risk factors. However, Bahus said we “really can’t be too fooled”; although stroke mortality increased early in the pandemic, studies show that it was already increasing before COVID-19.

Reason 3: Not recognizing stroke symptoms

Stroke can be mistakenly considered an “old age disease.” So when middle-aged people begin to experience stroke symptoms, those symptoms may go unnoticed and medical attention may be delayed until it’s too late, Caprio said.

Experts say it’s important for people of all ages to recognize the signs of a stroke, which include:

• Sudden weakness or dizziness
• Sudden numbness, especially on one side of the body
• Sudden trouble speaking or understanding
• Sudden severe headache

If you notice these symptoms, call 911 immediately. Quick treatment not only saves lives, it can also reduce the likelihood of brain damage from a stroke and prevent another stroke.