According to medical professionals, a growing number of young Nigerians are experiencing strokes as a result of unhealthy lifestyle choices, environmental hazards, and undiagnosed medical issues.
Given that stroke currently affects more young adults in their 20s and 30s and frequently occurs suddenly, the doctors emphasised the critical necessity for early screening.
In an exclusive interview, the specialists named a number of contributing reasons to the trend, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity, diabetes, smoking, stress, poor diet, inactivity, and excessive intake of processed foods and alcohol.
They claim that a large number of these risk factors are quiet, exhibiting no symptoms, and remain untreated until a stroke happens.
The experts pointed out that in addition to these lifestyle-related factors, some young people may be at higher risk due to genetic or medical problems such sickle cell disease, congenital heart defects, migraines, HIV, or even pregnancy-related issues.
They clarified that African youth are particularly at risk due to a combination of poor lifestyle choices and genetic predisposition.
Stroke is a major cause of morbidity and mortality globally, and over the next 20 years, it is expected to get worse in emerging nations, according to the World Health Organisation.
According to the WHO, stroke survivors may suffer from confusion, paralysis, and loss of vision or speech, while stroke victims have a high risk of dying.
The global health agency estimates that 15 million people worldwide have a stroke each year, of whom 5 million die and another 5 million become permanently incapacitated, putting a strain on families and communities.
According to the WHO, stroke is rare in those under 40, and when it does happen, high blood pressure is the primary cause.
The rising incidence of stroke and other cardiovascular disorders as a result of epidemiological change puts Nigeria at risk of further taxing its resources, according to the National Institute of Health and the National Library of Science.
According to the report, the 30-day case fatality rate for stroke in Nigeria is as high as 40%, and the frequency is currently 1.14 per 1000.
Locally, the Stroke Investigative Research and Education Network study found that inadequate physical activity, stress, and food are the main causes of stroke among young Nigerians, with sickle cell disease and other genetic variables making matters more complicated.
Speaking to our correspondent, Prof. Mayowa Owolabi, Director of the Centre for Genomic and Precision Medicine at the University of Ibadan’s College of Medicine, bemoaned the fact that cardiovascular diseases, including stroke, have surpassed infectious diseases as the continent’s leading causes of death.
He determined that the main causes of the rise in stroke incidents among young people in Africa were smoking, physical inactivity, diabetes, obesity, dyslipidaemia (high cholesterol), hypertension, and poor eating habits, particularly a lack of green leafy vegetables.
“Youth stroke is becoming more prevalent in Africa and is mostly caused by lifestyle factors influenced by social and commercial determinants of health,” he stated.
Owolabi, the World Federation for NeuroRehabilitation’s first Regional Vice President (Sub-Saharan Africa), emphasised that eating green leafy vegetables every day lowers the risk of having a stroke. Prevention strategies also include regular exercise, abstaining from fast food and alcohol, and identifying silent conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure early.
The majority of risk factors are asymptomatic until a catastrophic stroke occurs. For this reason, it is essential to screen for and manage these risk factors throughout one’s life, according to Owolabi.
He called for immediate policy changes to address the escalating epidemic, including restoring physical education in schools, taxing unhealthy foods and drugs like alcohol and nicotine, and reinvesting the proceeds to support a healthy food chain and safe, walkable neighbourhoods.
He further cautioned that cigarette smoking, heavy alcohol use, processed meals high in fat, salt, or red meat, and obesity—particularly abdominal obesity or potbelly—all considerably raise the risk of stroke.
Regarding the genetic component, the professor pointed out that illnesses including sickle cell disease and several interrelated genes also increase the risk of stroke.
He disclosed that research in African people is presently being carried out by his group to create genetic screening instruments for the early identification of stroke risks.
Portable brain scans, such as MRI or CT, can be used to confirm the clinical diagnosis of stroke. To measure a person’s overall risk, we now also employ stroke risk calculators and polygenic risk scores,” he said.
He emphasised that people should seek immediate medical assistance if they encounter symptoms such as slurred speech, facial droop, arm or limb weakness, double vision, or temporary blindness, even if they only last a few minutes. These symptoms could indicate an imminent stroke or a transient ischaemic attack.
“Death and permanent disability can be avoided with prompt action. He recommended that patients receive treatment in dedicated stroke units with multidisciplinary teams, access to clot-busting medications, and rehabilitation.
Prof. Owolabi, citing the World Health Organisation, recommended that individuals participate in moderate-intensity physical activity for at least 150–300 minutes or vigorous-intensity physical activity for 75–150 minutes every week.
“Eat green leafy vegetables every day; stay away from fast food, alcohol, and tobacco,” he said. At least twice a year, check your cholesterol, blood sugar, and blood pressure. The greatest treatment is still prevention.
Additionally, Dr. Demola Olaniyi, a consultant neurologist, cautioned that the alarming trend is being fuelled by untreated medical issues, poor lifestyle choices, and inadequate emergency response systems.
According to Olaniyi, conventional risk factors including heart disease, diabetes, obesity, smoking, and high blood pressure—once thought to be problems only affecting older adults—are now common among people in their 20s and 30s, which increases the risk of stroke in that age range.
“Stroke is no longer a disease of the elderly,” he clarified. The number of young people who have had strokes is steadily rising.
“The same risk factors—high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity, and diabetes—are more common in young people today, primarily as a result of unhealthy lifestyle choices.”
The doctor also found that migraine, the use of oral contraceptives, pregnancy, congenital heart problems, and recreational drug use are additional stroke risks that are specific to younger persons.
He went on to say that illnesses like HIV, meningitis, and hereditary disorders like sickle cell disease are also significant factors in Nigeria.
Olaniyi emphasised that these risks are being accelerated by smoking, alcohol misuse, poor diets, and physical inactivity.
He cited research from the Stroke Investigative Research and Education Network (SIREN) study, which demonstrated that eating vegetables and fish on a daily basis dramatically lowers the risk of stroke.
Lifestyle decisions are very important. Most strokes may be avoided. The likelihood can be significantly decreased by regular exercise, a balanced diet, and stress management, he said.
Using the F.A.S.T. mnemonic—Face drooping, Arm weakness, Speech difficulty, and Time to summon emergency services—the neurologist underlined the significance of public knowledge of stroke warning symptoms and the value of early detection and treatment.
If the patient arrives at the hospital within 4.5 hours, the stroke can now be reversed. However, because of delayed referrals and little awareness, many Nigerians arrive too late. Early detection and swift intervention are therefore extremely important,” he cautioned.
He urged immediate changes to Nigeria’s emergency medical system, such as improved referral coordination, more stroke education, and the establishment of more stroke care facilities that can offer cutting-edge therapies like intravenous clot-busting medications, mechanical thrombectomy, and neuroimaging.
Modern treatments are now available that can mechanically remove the obstruction or melt it, but they are costly and time-sensitive. There is no time to be searching for money when a stroke occurs, so we must arrange emergency transport and offer health finance,” he continued.
Olaniyi also advocated for more funding for rehabilitation services, pointing out that innovations like robotic therapy, brain stimulation, and tele-rehabilitation are accelerating the recovery of young stroke patients.
According to a study, adults under 50 now account for almost one in four stroke incidents in West Africa, with high blood pressure being the most deadly factor contributing to the problem.
The study, which was carried out under SIREN at 15 locations in Ghana and Nigeria, cautioned that stroke, which was previously thought to be a disease that only affected the elderly, is now seriously impairing the young and active people in the area.
515 individuals, or 24.3% of the 2,118 stroke cases that were examined, were younger than 50.
Surprisingly, compared to Western nations where ischaemic strokes are more prevalent in young adults, over half of these younger patients experienced hemorrhagic strokes, a more deadly kind of stroke brought on by bleeding in the brain.
Nearly 89% of strokes among young West Africans are caused by hypertension, the top modifiable risk factor, according to the study.
Other significant causes included diabetes, inadequate consumption of green vegetables, psychological stress, underlying cardiac disease, and dyslipidaemia (abnormal cholesterol levels).
The report also highlighted how the problem is exacerbated by low health literacy and knowledge.
Concerns regarding the lack of knowledge, delayed detection, and inadequate treatment of hypertension in various groups were raised by the researchers’ discovery that those without a formal education had noticeably increased risks of stroke.
Between five and twenty percent of strokes in persons under 50 occur worldwide, but in West Africa, the number is sharply increasing, indicating what specialists refer to as a “epidemiological time bomb.”
The researchers cautioned that the region may continue to lose its most active workforce to a condition that is mostly preventable unless immediate preventive measures are implemented, such as improved hypertension screening, lifestyle changes, public education, and inexpensive access to care.
