Medical experts have raised alarm over the increasing prevalence of stroke among young Nigerians, attributing it to poor lifestyle habits, genetic factors, and lack of early screening.
Medical experts have warned that stroke is no longer a disease of the elderly, as more young Nigerians in their 20s and 30s are increasingly being affected.
Speaking to PUNCH Healthwise, physicians identified hypertension, obesity, diabetes, smoking, poor diet, and lack of physical activity as key drivers of the disturbing trend, adding that many of these risk factors are silent until a stroke occurs.
Professor Mayowa Owolabi, Director at the Centre for Genomic and Precision Medicine, University of Ibadan, noted that lifestyle factors are now the biggest culprits behind stroke in Africa. “Stroke in the young is now increasingly common in Africa and largely driven by lifestyle factors influenced by commercial and social determinants of health,” he said. He urged Nigerians to eat leafy vegetables daily, exercise regularly, and avoid alcohol, tobacco, and fast food.
Consultant neurologist Dr. Demola Olaniyi also stressed that untreated conditions, weak emergency response, and poor awareness of stroke symptoms worsen outcomes. “Stroke can now be reversed if the patient gets to the hospital within 4.5 hours. But many Nigerians arrive too late due to poor awareness and delayed referrals,” he warned.
A recent study by the Stroke Investigative Research and Education Network revealed that nearly one in four stroke cases in West Africa occurs in people under 50, with hypertension responsible for almost 89 percent.
Experts have called for urgent policy interventions, improved stroke care facilities, and nationwide screening campaigns to prevent what they describe as an “epidemiological time bomb.”