The majority of strokes occur in people who are older than age 65. But younger people shouldn't dismiss any suspicious symptoms or think that they're too young to have a stroke.

"We're seeing more patients in their 20s, 30s and 40s suffering strokes," says Venkat Veerappan, MD, a neurologist and Medical Director of The Stroke Center at Valley Hospital Medical Center. "It's important that young adults take stroke symptoms seriously because strokes can cause disability and death in young people just as they do in older individuals."

Strokes occur when a blocked or burst vessel disrupts blood flow to the brain. High blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity, diabetes and tobacco use -- risk factors that often cause strokes in older people -- typically aren't the culprits when younger people suffer strokes. Instead, younger people may have strokes for a variety of other reasons, including:

• Heart defects. People born with tiny holes in their hearts may be at risk for strokes. The holes may allow clots to pass into the vessels that supply blood to their brains.
• Certain blood conditions. Some people have conditions that thicken their blood and increase the risk for dangerous clots.
• Use of contraceptive pills. Birth control medications can increase the risk for stroke, especially in women who smoke. Those who take the pill, smoke and have migraine headaches may have an even higher risk.
• Giving birth. Women face an increased risk for stroke for about a week after their deliveries.
• Drug abuse. Cocaine, amphetamines, heroin and other illegal drugs can increase the risk for stroke.
• Trauma to the neck. Even a minor injury to the carotid artery in the neck can tear the artery and cause a stroke.

"Younger people should realize that they aren't immune to strokes," Dr. Veerappan says. "Fortunately, most of the causes of strokes in young adults are very treatable. For example, we can repair holes in the heart, prescribe blood-thinning medications for those with thicker blood or recommend alternative forms of contraception for women who smoke."

Dr. Veerappan emphasizes that everyone -- regardless of age -- should learn the symptoms of stroke and seek emergency care immediately if they develop these symptoms. When people seek treatment early, doctors often can administer clot-busting medications that help halt strokes, reduce disability and even save patients' lives.

Learn These Stroke Symptoms
Call 911 immediately if you develop these stroke symptoms:

• Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body
• Sudden confusion, difficulty speaking or understanding
• Sudden difficulty seeing in one or both eyes
• Sudden trouble walking, loss of balance or coordination
• Sudden severe headache with no known cause