Cori Broadus, daughter of rapper and actor Snoop Dogg, had a stroke in early 2024. The 24-year-old hasn’t shared details on what might have caused the stroke, but she has reported on social media that she is overweight and has lupus and kidney problems. Since the stroke, she reported on Instagram that she lost a significant amount of weight.

Stroke rates in younger adults have increased by more than 40 percent in the last few decades according to the American Heart Association. A 2020 study in the journal Stroke found that younger adults are less likely to recognize stroke symptoms such as face, arm, or leg numbness; difficulty speaking or understanding language; dizziness or loss of balance; and trouble seeing with one or both eyes.

Several factors could account for the increase in strokes among young people, says Sarah Song, MD, FAAN, associate professor in the division of cerebrovascular diseases at Rush University in Chicago. Specific medical problems such as mechanical injuries that cause a tear in an artery, genetic blood clotting problems, infections, automimmune conditions, and heart defects or arrhythmias can cause a stroke. However, the same problems that cause strokes in older people—high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes—can also affect younger adults, she says.

Treatment for a stroke is no different for a younger person than an older one. In the emergency department, physicians first determine whether the stroke is the result of bleeding in the brain or a blood clot. If the latter, doctors can administer medication to try to break up the clot, or a procedure to try to remove the clot.

Figuring out the cause of stroke can include a detailed personal and family history, more extensive imaging to rule out conditions like a heart defect, and if appropriate, a thorough blood workup to see if genetic factors contributed.

Read More: Are You at Risk for Stroke?

Physical and psychological rehabilitation are important aspects of stroke recovery, says Dr. Song. Patients can get speech, physical, and occupational therapy, if needed, and talk therapy too. “Depression can occur after someone has had a stroke and we would want to treat that aggressively,” says Dr. Song. “We implement therapy early and try to understand the struggles along the way.”  

Everyone, including younger people, should have regular health checks so conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure can be detected, treated, and monitored if necessary. “High blood pressure, a key risk for stroke, often has no symptoms until it's too late,” says Dr. Song, who encourages people to memorize the acronym FAST:

• Face droop
• Arm and leg weakness
• Slurred speech
• Time to call 911