Tuesday is World Stroke Day. Stroke is the fifth-leading cause of death and a leading cause of serious, long-term disability in the U.S., despite stroke being largely preventable, treatable and beatable.

Stroke is something that affects many of us, whether it's happened to us personally or to someone we love, but oftentimes, the perception is that strokes can only happen to older people.

We’re learning more about how COVID-19 impacts the brain, and evidence suggests the infection may increase risk for suffering a stroke. “We’re actually seeing young people who don’t have the traditional risk factors for stroke like high blood pressure, or other problems. These are young, healthy people, who are coming in with big, big strokes.”Regardless of age or COVID-19, Hussain said stroke symptoms should never be ignored. He reminds people to use the acronym ‘BE FAST’ to recognize stroke symptoms. If someone has stroke symptoms -- do not delay care, seek medical attention immediately.