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Luke Perry had a stroke at 52. How unusual is that?

The Beverly Hills 90210 star's early death likely has a lot of boomers wondering.

FILE - In this Aug. 6, 2018, file photo, Luke Perry poses for a portrait during the 2018 Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File)
FILE - In this Aug. 6, 2018, file photo, Luke Perry poses for a portrait during the 2018 Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour in Beverly Hills, Calif. (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File)Read moreChris Pizzello / Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP
    by Tom Avril
    Published 

That clicking sound you heard this afternoon was all the people in their early 50s typing the words “chance of having a stroke” in their search engines.

Age 52? Really?

Yes, that’s how old actor Luke Perry was.

The star of Beverly Hills 90210 and Riverdale died Monday morning after he was hospitalized last week with an apparent stroke.

Most strokes occur in people aged 65 and up, but the disabling condition is not unheard of in younger people.

Among white men aged 45 to 54, the chance of a stroke in a given year is 2.4 out of 1,000, according to the American Heart Association. The risk in black men of that age group is four times as high.

Each year, close to 800,000 people in the United States have a stroke, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most of those are ischemic strokes, meaning blood flow to the brain has been blocked, generally as the result of a clot. The remainder are hemorrhagic strokes, defined as bleeding in the brain.

Fast action is essential for improving the patient’s chance of survival.

When the stroke is caused by a clot, physicians may administer a clot-busting drug called tissue plasminogen activator, abbreviated tPA. The drug must be given within a few hours.

Another option is using a catheter to extract the clot, in a procedure called a thrombectomy.

The following warning signs may indicate a stroke, according to the CDC:

  1. Sudden numbness or weakness in the face, arm, or leg, especially on one side of the body.

  2. Sudden confusion, trouble speaking, or difficulty understanding speech.

  3. Sudden difficulty seeing with one or both eyes.

  4. Sudden dizziness, loss of balance, or lack of coordination.

  5. Sudden severe headache with no apparent cause.

High blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, diabetes, obesity, cigarette smoking, and drug use can increase a person’s risk of stroke.