A latest study shows that people, who survived a stroke below the age of 50, need assistance in daily activities 10 years after the condition.
Researchers stated that around 10 percent of strokes occur in people between the ages of 18 and 50.
"Even if patients seem relatively well recovered with respect to motor function, there may still be immense 'invisible' damage that leads to loss of independence," senior author Frank-Erik de Leeuw, associate professor of neurology at the Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Center, the Netherlands, said in a news release.
For the study, the researchers examined 722 people who had a first stroke when they were between the ages of 18 and 50.
They found that one-third of the respondents had at least moderate disability and needed assistance for some activities in daily life. Furthermore, some participants were unable to complete routine tasks like looking after themselves and their fiancés, and doing household chores among others.
"Most doctors view young stroke patients as a group with great recovery opportunities," de Leeuw said.
"But our study is the first to show these almost life-long effects of stroke on performance. This is important to communicate right from the start to patients and families," he added.
The researchers also found that after a transient ischemic attack (mini-stroke), 16.8 percent suffered from functional disability and 10.8 percent had poor independent skills.
After an ischemic stroke (caused by a blood clot in the brain), 36.5 percent experienced functional disability and 14.6 required constant assistance. After a hemorrhagic stroke, caused by a brain bleed, 49.3 percent had functional disability and 18.2 percent were didn't have the skills to live independently.
The researchers found that the effect was even worse when some participants suffered stroke during the follow-up study. During the follow-up, 91 patients survived another stroke. The authors found that 54.9 percent were at least moderately disabled, compared with 28.7 percent of those without a recurrent stroke. About 33.3 percent were dependent on others for daily activities when compared with 11.5 percent of those without a recurrent stroke.
"We don't know if it's cognition, depression, problems in their families or relationships or other factors, but once we do, we can develop more effective interventions," de Leeuw said.
The findings are published in the journal 'Stroke.'
