Gen X more at stroke risk than baby boomers, shows study

Owing to increased trend in obesity and diabetes, the rate of stroke has more than doubled among Generation X -- the people born between 1965 and 1974, a research has found.

In contrast, the baby boomers -- born between 1945 and 1954 -- could be labelled as "stroke-healthiest generation", as they were found to have the lowest incidence of ischemic stroke.

In fact, the 'baby boomers' were healthier than those born 20 years before as well as 20 years after them.

"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," said John B. Kostis, Professor at Rutgers University.

"However, the increasing incidence of stroke among those who are between the ages of 35 and 50 - is alarming," Kostis added.

According to researchers, this upward trend to cardiovascular diseases are due to several factors -- lack of adherence to prescribed treatment -- as taking medicine to control blood-pressure, and a significant increase in obesity and the prevalence of diabetes.

For the study, the team analysed more than 225,000 records of stroke data between 1995 and 2014.

The analyses found that those born in the 20 years before 1945 and those born in the 20 years after 1954 had higher risks of stroke.

Only the group who are now between 60 and 70 years of age saw a reduction in the incidence of stroke during the range of years included in the study, the researchers said.

The study was published on Thursday in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

--IANS

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