Actor Frankie Muniz Suffers a Mini-Stroke at Age 26
Joelle Reizes - December 5, 2012
Last Friday, “Malcolm in the Middle” actor Frankie Muniz, who is just 26 years old, suffered a mini-stroke. Muniz tweeted the news on Tuesday, December 4th saying, “I was in the hospital last Friday. I suffered a “Mini Stroke”, which was not fun at all. Have to start taking care of my body! Getting old!”
Muniz is recovering from the condition, which is also referred to as a transient ischemic attack. This mini-stroke occurs when blood flow to the brain is momentarily interrupted due to a blood clot, blood vessel injury or the narrowing of a blood vessel. The blood flow begins again after a short time. Compared to a regular stroke, mini-strokes typically don’t result in death of the tissue in the brain.
Strokes among individuals this young are extremely rare. USA Today reports that “among people who’ve had strokes, fewer than 10 percent are under [age] 45.”
Transient Ischemic Attack Risk Factors & Symptoms
Risk factors for a mini-stroke are similar to the risk factors of regular strokes which include:
- High cholesterol
- Atrial fibrillation
- Family history
- Advanced age (55 or older)
- Diabetes
- Gender (males have increased risk)
- Poor diet
- Heavy alcohol consumption
- Obesity
- Smoking
Symptoms of a mini-stroke align with those of a regular stroke, but don’t last as long. WebMD states these symptoms occur abruptly and may include:
- Vision changes
- Trouble talking
- Confusion
- Problems walking or balancing
- Severe headache
- Numbness
- Weakness
- Tingling
Muniz’s symptoms included sudden vision changes and the sudden inability to speak. Muniz stated that while trying to talk to his fiancée, he thought he was saying words, but he sounded as though he was speaking a foreign language.
Stroke is the number one cause of adult disability and 80 percent of all strokes are preventable. Through the help of a stroke screening, you can identify stroke risk before it occurs, limiting the damage it can cause your health and your life. Learn more about a preventive stroke screening today.
Photo: s_bukley / Shutterstock.com
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