Stroke striking the young, 30 pc cases under 45-yrs

STROKE AT 19: Nineteen-year old Akshay Khattar's life fell apart when he suffered a stroke six-months ago.

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Keywords: Neurology, Brain Stroke

New Delhi: People believe that only the elderly can get strokes. However, 20-30 per cent of all strokes in India occur under 45-years of age.

More than 200 people die of a stroke everyday in our country. Compared to heart attacks, the awareness about brain stroke is very limited. Over 250 persons in a population of 100,000 are struck by brain strokes and about 20 per cent of heart patients are susceptible to it.

Nineteen-year old Akshay Khattar's life fell apart when he suffered a stroke six-months ago. As a result, left side of his body was paralysed. He also lost control of the movement of his legs, arms and eyes. His speech too was mildly affected.

“It was all so sudden. It all started with a headache and then he could not move the left side of his body. A neurosurgeon residing at our place told us he had a stroke,” says father, Dhanesh Kumar.

Senior Consultant, Neurology, Dr PN Renjen says, “He had infective vegetation in his heart that had gone to the brain and caused the stroke.”

However, today Akshay's determination to fight all odds has certainly made him stand apart. In the last six-months, Akshay who was entirely bedridden has made 85 per cent recovery. He spends more than half of his day in the gym, religiously gets his physiotherapy done apart from following the medication he is put on.

During these trying times his family were his pillars of strength. And now in a few months he plans to re-join his college.

“I was totally dependent on others for all my work but today I can do most of my work independently,” says Akshay Khattar.

Stroke is the most common cause of disability and dependence. More than 70 per cent of stroke survivors remain vocationally impaired and more than 30 per cent require assistance for their daily activities.

However, Akshay’s speedy recovery has proved that where there is a will, there certainly is a way.