Surprising health scare for Hailey Bieber
NEW YORK - There has been a surprising health scare for model Hailey Bieber, the wife of Justin Bieber.
She says stroke-like symptoms sent her to the hospital over the weekend.
Bieber is just 25, but CBS2's Dr. Max Gomez explains that young people can be at risk for what was likely a mini-stroke.
Hailey Bieber explained that she was sitting at breakfast with her husband when she started having stroke-like symptoms and was taken to the hospital. There, tests revealed that she had suffered a very small blood clot in her brain, which caused a lack of oxygen to portions of her brain.
Stroke neurologist Dr. Richard Lipman says those are classic symptoms of what is commonly referred to as TIA.
"What we call TIA, or mini-stroke. And a full-blown stroke may differ only in the degree to which the symptoms last, in one case, a stroke lasting a longer time," Lipman said.
In fact, her symptoms resolved in a few hours. But such a TIA puts her at increased risk for a full-blown stroke. And even though rare, young people often have some of the risk factors for stroke.
"High blood pressure is major, and incredibly important. Diabetes, smoking, high cholesterol, high alcohol intake, and lack of exercise," Lipman said.
In addition, young women who smoke and also take birth control pills are at increased risk for developing blood clots that could travel to the brain and cause a stroke.
The warning signs of TIA or mini-stroke are the same as for a full-blown stroke, and they are the sudden onset of symptoms that are best remembered by the acronym "be fast."
For a full explanation of "be fast" and the symptoms, CLICK HERE.