Abstract P559: National Burden & Cardiovascular Risk Factor Profile of Stroke Among Young Adults in The United States

Introduction: Stroke is a leading cause of death and disability worldwide. While most prevalent in elderly, it’s not uncommon in the non-elderly ( Methods: We analyzed the National Health Interview Survey (2012-2018), a nationally representative study sample. Stroke, as well as CVD risk factors (CRF) [diabetes, hypertension, ever-smoker, insufficient physical activity, obesity and high cholesterol] were self-reported. A CRF profile was then created, with the following categories: “Optimal”, “Average” and “Poor” (0-1, 2-3 & ≥ 4 CRFs, respectively). All analyses took into consideration the survey’s complex design. Results: The 2012-2018 survey population consisted of 224,638 adults ≥ 18 yrs, ≈ 242 million US adults annually. Overall 2.8% (≈ 7 million) reported ever having history of stroke, with 45% noted in the non-elderly (< 65). Among non-elderly, 21% of stroke-history was allocated among the young (18-44 years) adults, translating to nearly 642,810 individuals reporting ever having history of stroke per year. The most common risk factors noted in these patients were insufficient physical activity (56%), current/past smoking (48%), obesity (45%), and hypertension (44%). Overall among the young ( Conclusion: More than half a million adults 18-44 years of age reported a history stroke in US. Individuals with sub-optimal CRF profiles are highly susceptible, and population-level strategies emphasizing cardiovascular health may significantly reduce risk of stroke among young adults in US.