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Miami Valley doctor says strokes are increasing in younger people, shares warning signs

By WHIO Staff
By WHIO Staff

A Miami Valley Hospital doctor says strokes are increasing in younger people and wants to share the warning signs.

Dr. Bryan Ludwig, the chair of the Clinical Neuroscience Institute at Premier Health, said he is seeing the increase in people between ages 18 to 45-years-old.

One patient Ludwig helped save was only 36-years-old when he suffered a stroke.

Ryan Zimmerman, from Jeffersonville, is now recovering and sharing his story in hopes to help others.

Zimmerman realized something was wrong the morning of January 6th.

“I noticed my speech was slurred, and then I started losing feeling in my left side of my arm and legs. I also got a little bit more dizzy and lost my ability to swallow, and I was having trouble breathing at that time,” Zimmerman said.

An ambulance took Zimmerman to Miami Valley Hospital Jamestown Emergency Center and diagnosed him with a stroke.

Doctors then gave Zimmerman a new clot busting medication and flew him to Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton.

Dr. Ludwig, who met him as soon as he was coming off of the helicopter, said Zimmerman was already showing signs the medicine was working.

“His legs were starting to show movement, his arm was starting to move, and his speech was difficult to understand, but certainly improving,” Dr. Ludwig said.

Since then, with the help of doctors, nurses, therapists, and his wife, Zimmerman has continued to recover.

“I’m at the point now, I can live with what I’m dealing with, but I do hope that things improve overtime,” Zimmerman said.

The Zimmermans acted quickly when they knew something was wrong, and Dr. Ludwig said that is key.

In fact, the acronym Dr. Ludwig wants you to remember to help identify signs of a stroke is “be fast.”

The acronym stands for:

  • Balance
  • Eye movement- Can someone move their eyes left and right on command?
  • Face- Have them smile.
  • Arm- Try to have them raise their arms.
  • Speech- Ask them to say a sentence for you.
  • Take action- Think about calling 911.

Dr. Ludwig explained the faster patients get to the hospital the better their outcomes can be.













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