Medpage Today

“The recent stroke suffered by Delaware’s attorney general Beau Biden, who is 41, has highlighted the fact that people of all ages are vulnerable, despite seemingly good health.”

…”Patrick Lyden, MD, a neurologist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, noted that “the term ‘mild’ could mean a lot of things,” ranging from a transient ischemic attack free of any permanent damage to a completed stroke with very mild symptoms….”For those under 45, the risk is about one in 1,000. It jumps to about 30 to 50 in 1,000 for individuals older than 65.”But the rate of stroke is increasing at a faster clip in individuals ages 40 to 60 than in any other age group, Lyden said.

“The reasons are unclear, but he noted an increasing number of strokes at his center related to atypical causes such as migraine, drug use, and carotid dissection.

“Although the primary causes of stroke — obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, smoking, and excess alcohol consumption — contribute as well, the atypical causes are more common in the younger age groups than in older individuals, according to Sacco.”

Source: Medpage Today, May 14, 2010