Stroke is often seen as a condition that only affects older people. Yet the incidence of stroke in older people has actually fallen in recent decades. At the same time, rates of stroke in under-55s has been on the rise. In England, stroke incidence among 35- to 54-year-olds rose by about 2% a year between 2001 and 2010, even as overall rates dropped. In Oxfordshire alone, stroke rates in under-55s were about 90% higher in 2010–2018 than in 1981–1986 – while rates in older people fell.