A study of more than 94,000 people found a 67% increase in stroke incidence among younger adults, while there was a 15% decrease among older adults.

“It does seem like the risk of stroke is going up for some younger people, I think it's all due to the same risk factors, actually,” said Dr. Clinton Wright a Vascular Neurologist and Associate Director of National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

Every year, more than 800,000 people suffer a stroke.

“The most common risk factors for stroke are things like hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol, smoking,” along with obesity, Dr. Wright said.

“We have an obesity problem in the United States. And obesity actually causes hypertension, and diabetes. So, all of those things together mean that the younger population is starting to be affected.”

Experts say strokes are the leading cause of death in the United States and cause more serious long-term disabilities than any other disease.

That’s the why Dr. Wright along with The National Institutes of Health are encouraging people act quickly at the symptoms of a stroke through acronym F.A.S.T.

“We have an acronym to help people remember the symptoms, and that is F.A.S.T, which stands for face, arm, speech, and then the T stands for time,” said Dr. Wright.

• Face: Does one side of the face droop?
• Arm weakness: Is one arm weak or numb?
• Speech: Is speech slurred or difficult to understand?
• Time: Call 911 immediately

Additional signs of stroke include:

• Sudden NUMBNESS or weakness of face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body
• Sudden CONFUSION, trouble speaking or understanding speech
• Sudden TROUBLE SEEING in one or both eyes
• Sudden TROUBLE WALKING, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
• Sudden SEVERE HEADACHE with no known cause

Dr. Wright also stressed that strokes are preventable and you can lower your risk by “having a healthy diet, regular exercise, it's very important for people to get exercise and both resistance training, and cardiac training.”

Dr. Michael Petersen, Chief Medical Officer at Aetna-CVS, talked about his remarkable story while being on the other side of medical care.

Read the full transcription of the interview below or watch in the video player above. Some responses have been edited for clarity.

Britt Moreno: I'm so excited to welcome Dr. Mike Petersen, Chief Medical Officer at Aetna-CVS. He's joining us today to talk about his health story. And we say it's remarkable because it truly is, and you're so brave to be here. Okay, Dr. Petersen endured a stroke. And you know, I'm sure that irony isn't lost on you here. You have been in the medical field for decades, probably on the other side of things. And here, you found yourself as a patient. What was that like?

Dr. Mike Petersen: It was, to be honest with you, it's tough. It's tough to be a patient. Because you're on the other side, you kind of know everything is happening to you. But at the same time, you also know where you're gonna, trajectory is gonna be. It is a overwhelming experience to be patient.

Moreno: When you think back, were there any early symptoms, any signs or warning?

Petersen: No. They call hypertension the silent killer for a reason. And I was fit, I was going to Orangetheory, three times a week. I had no reason to think that I had hypertension. And what got me was hypertension. I was diagnosed with hypertension.

Moreno: You didn't even know you had it.

Petersen: I didn't know I had it.

Moreno: You went through this traumatic experience. My goodness. So, just so folks understand. He is put together today. But that wasn't the case after the stroke. You had to learn how to walk how to talk, tell us a little bit about that in-depth recovery.

Petersen: The recovery was through [TIRR Memorial Hermann Hospital] down in Houston. And then this therapist at CNS took care of the rest. But it was intense. When I first was getting out of hospital, I was in a wheelchair for about four weeks, then a walker. And then from a walker. I told him I said, I'm not even going to use the walker anymore. So, I started walking about six and a half, seven, eight weeks of after my stroke. The the therapy was like I said, intense and we had physical, I had occupational, I had cognitive therapy. And it was remarkable. And I'm here because of the work that they did at TIRR and the way they did CNS wouldn't be here talking to you if it wasn't for them.

Moreno: You mentioned to me as well that you're grateful to the initial EMS workers who came to you, and really your wife, yes, was the one who called 911.

Petersen: Despite my be a doctor, I told her don't worry about calling 911. She called 911 anyways, because she just knew something's wrong. But I owe everything to the EMS crew, they came to pick me up, because my son found me is the one who found me near the bed. And I was in a lot of pain. I had a major headache. And I told him to get his mom, she came up. Of course, she didn't listen to me calling 911. And I was lucky enough that the neurosurgeon happened to be in the hospital when I pulled in. So he took me right to the ER,

Moreno: It can be a good thing when the wives don't listen.

Petersen: Yes, it's a great thing, trust me.

Moreno: You know, we're talking about the Heart Association Heart Ball that's coming up, and I know you're going to that, yes. This is a way that we can educate other people and create awareness and so KXAN's really happy to be a part of it. Yeah, we're really glad that you're going. What do you think is your big takeaway from enduring this experience?

Petersen: Yeah, there's a lot of them. But the biggest one is, check your blood pressure, even if you're healthy, have blood pressure check, especially if you're over 25 or 26. I think that's why what I take from this is not only the journey is long, but one thing to remember is that this stroke doesn't just affect the person-- it impacts the family. So think about my in-laws have to come watch my kids, so my wife could be with me in Houston. It is a overwhelming experience. Just be patient, and just know that time will be on your side. Because, you know, when you're when the story does impact you you think in your mind you're better. Reality is you're not. You need people to tell you you're not. That's what therapists said.

Moreno: And how wonderful that you had that community of people and supporters wrapping their arms around you.,

Petersen: I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for them.

The greater Austin area becomes ripe for mosquitoes from the springtime through the fall, as temperatures rise and precipitation falls to the ground. Despite their pesky annoyance, APH cautioned residents mosquitoes can carry a variety of illnesses, including Zika, West Nile, dengue fever, encephalitis and canine heartworm.

Just last year, three West Nile virus cases were reported in Travis County, including one death. In that same 2023 season, 48 mosquito pools tested positive for West Nile virus, per an APH release.

“The sun is out, and everyone is excited to get back to their favorite spring and summer activities. Let’s make sure that we’re taking quick steps to protect ourselves and fully enjoy this time of year,” Austin-Travis County Health Authority Dr. Desmar Walkes said in the release. “Wearing long sleeves and pants, putting on repellant and clearing out standing water will protect yourself and others from mosquitoes and the diseases they carry.”  

Typically, mosquitoes carrying West Nile virus are most likely to be active in the dawn and dusk timeframe, per the release. When outside, loose-fitted and light-colored clothing can help detract mosquitoes, as does insect repellant.

Property owners should inspect their yards or neighborhoods to remove any standing water that might be settling in old tires, flowerpots, clogged rain gutters, birdbaths and other sites. More details on how to keep yourself safe are available online.

Safeena Walji, spokesperson for the Texas Gas Service, interviewed with KXAN's Will DuPree to talk about the importance of safe digging.

Earlier on Thursday, workers evacuated from a building under construction in northeast Austin after a four-inch gas line was hit near Parmer Lane and Dessau Road., according to the Austin Fire Department. This is a constant reminder that no matter how big or small the project, safety is always top of mind.

Read a transcription of the discussion below or watch the interview in the video player above.

DuPree: We should also note that April is Safe Digging Month. And what's the message as you hope to, for people at home to take away from them?

Walji: Yeah, April is Safe Digging Month. It's a great reminder, as the weather's warming up about the Texas 811 service. It's actually completely free to create a ticket online or call them and you know, 48 hours excluding weekends and holidays. Before you want to start your project, call them and they will mark wherever there's facilities underground, color coded like yellow is natural gas, etc. And that way you know where you can dig safely.

DuPree: Absolutely, because that is the most important thing it could save someone's life in a way. How often are people or projects hitting gas lines when they're digging underneath the ground?

Walji: That's a good question. Last year in Texas, 47% of the damages to underground facilities happened because someone didn't contact 811. So, it's a big problem.

DuPree: And again, that is just as simple as calling that number.

Walji: Yep. And it's free.

DuPree: Yeah, even better, right? As a part of Safe Digging Month, you also are doing a tree giveaway. Tell us about that and how people can enter.

Walji: Definitely. We are giving away 50 trees this year for Safe Digging Month. It's super easy take our pledge at beadigherotexas.com. Commit to digging safely and you're automatically entered to be one of the 50 tree recipients. And that's it. It's super easy. And you can actually pick what tree you want this year. We have a couple of options to choose from that are friendly to this region.

DuPree: I was about to say you all did this very same thing last year, right?

Walji: We always have a campaign going for safe digging month and this year with the Arbor Day Foundation, people will actually get to choose what tree they want. And in the portal it's actually cool they can see where on their property would maximize like energy savings and have the biggest environmental benefit.

The Biden administration’s final rule for LED bulbs, announced Friday, more than doubles the energy efficiency requirements for the bulbs, taking them from 45 lumens (the unit of measurement for brightness) per watt to more than 120 lumens. The Department of Energy (DOE) has projected the rule will result in about $27 billion in total savings and prevent the release of 70 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions over a 30-year period.

“LED lightbulbs, which are now the norm, will get more energy efficient and therefore use less electricity,” Andrew deLaski, executive director at the Appliance Standards Awareness Project, told The Hill in an interview.

Specifically, he said, Americans will save about a dollar per bulb under normal usage conditions, which comes out to a $50 annual savings in a typical household with about two dozen lightbulbs.

“It takes some time, and the reason it takes some time is LED lightbulbs last a long time,” he added. In many cases, he said, LED bulbs can last as long as 10 years before burning out, compared to the now phased-out incandescent bulbs, which typically lasted no more than a year.

“Small savings add up, is the moral of the story,” he said.

Consumer savings on lightbulbs will differ from those associated with appliances that most households only own one of, such as a refrigerator, said Joe Vukovich, a climate and energy staff attorney at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). “Even if it’s a couple bucks over the life of the bulb times the number of bulbs,” those savings accumulate in a household with many lightbulbs, Vukovich told The Hill.

Full enforcement of the new LED rule does not begin until 2029, but Vukovich said some manufacturers and retailers will likely take steps toward compliance before then. 

The administration has pursued a broader strategy of tightening energy efficiency rules for appliances and lightbulbs after the Trump administration loosened or declined to update many such rules. In 2019, the Trump Energy Department blocked a new lightbulb efficiency rule set to take effect the following January under a law signed by President George W. Bush in 2007.

“There are provisions in the law that are quite clear saying the DOE has to take a look at lightbulb energy efficiency and start this rulemaking process,” Vukovich said. “The Trump administration spent four years trying to get around that very clear language; there was a lot of needless delay … the Biden administration’s approach has been very different.”

The NRDC was involved in legal challenges to the Trump administration’s actions on the lightbulb efficiency rule.

Though the Trump administration rolled back a number of existing energy efficiency and environmental rules, the LED rule’s background involving a law passed by Congress could make it harder for a second administration under the former president to undo, Vukovich added.

“I think it’s very clear that there’s a very strong anti-backsliding provision that says once the standard is out there, you can’t weaken it,” he said. “Do I think they will try to come up with creative legal theories? Sure, maybe, but … past a certain point, what’s the point of rolling this back?”

Lightbulb manufacturers themselves also backed the new efficiency rules. But that’s no guarantee a second Trump administration would not take action to roll them back. During former President Trump’s first term, the Energy Department scrapped Obama-era energy efficiency rules regarding the flow of water from showerheads not because of lobbying from manufacturers, but because the then-president’s vocal personal dislike of the more efficient models.

Before the announcement of the LED rule, the Biden administration began enforcing a separate ban on new sales of older incandescent lightbulbs last August.

That process was often misleadingly conflated with the government confiscating individual consumers’ incandescent bulbs. But there's been no comparable controversy surrounding the new LED rules, deLaski said, in part because the industry is broadly in favor of them.

“These are the bulbs that are available on shelves — it’s been that way for some time, and guess what, they work as well or better than the inefficient incandescent lightbulbs they replaced,” he said. “Consumers are happy with LEDs, and this standard will make sure the LEDs on the market are even more energy efficient, and that’s a good thing.”

“There’s really nothing to push back against,” he added.