Around the world, every six seconds someone dies of a stroke, according to the World Health Organization. And in China, strokes are the number one cause of death and disabilities among adults, with fatal strokes on the rise. What worries doctors even more is the increase in China's youth now suffering strokes. CGTN reporter Hu Chao takes a look. 35-year-old Zhou Wei had a stroke last winter. It paralyzed the left side of his body and left him unable to talk. He has spent the last several months in rehabilitation at a local hospital in Taiyuan, capital of north China's Shanxi Province. After five months of acupuncture and other treatments, now he's able to talk and move a bit again.

ZHOU WEI PATIENT, SHANXI PROVINCIAL ACUPUNCTURE HOSPITAL "I never expected that I'd have a stroke. I have high blood pressure but I didn't take medicine regularly. That caused the stroke."

44-year-old Chang Jian is another patient here. His wife has been taking care of him.

LI RUNHUA, WIFE OF PATIENT SHANXI PROVINCIAL ACUPUNCTURE HOSPITAL "It was no surprise to me that he had a stroke. He likes greasy food very much and never eats fruits or vegetables. And he has diabetes but never exercises."

Zhou and Chang are among a rising number of stroke patients in China. In a 2018 Report on Strokes and Prevention and Treatment in China, stroke fatalities have risen sharply since 2005, and the average victim is getting younger. Hospitals have seen the trend.

CHEN XIAOFEI, CHIEF PHYSICIAN SHANXI HOSPITAL OF HEART & BLOOD VESSEL DISEASES "Stroke was a common disease among the elderly above the age of seventy. But now we've seen more patients at around forty or fifty."

Doctors say unhealthy lifestyles are to blame.

CHEN XIAOFEI, CHIEF PHYSICIAN SHANXI HOSPITAL OF HEART & BLOOD VESSEL DISEASES "Unhealthy diet and lifestyle often lead to blood problems, which increase the risk of stroke."

Strokes often cause disabilities. Doctors say Chinese acupuncture now offers great help in rehabilitation.

ZHANG JIE, DEPUTY HEAD SHANXI PROVINCIAL ACUPUNCTURE HOSPITAL "We've developed twelve acupuncture treatment plans for stroke rehabilitation. They have proven to be effective. We suggest stroke patients get treatments that combine traditional Chinese medicine and western medicine. It will be more helpful."

HU CHAO TAIYUAN, SHANXI PROVINCE "Doctors also say more advertising and publicity about strokes are necessary, especially for youngsters, to raise awareness of them. They say that's where better prevention of the often fatal attacks will start. Hu Chao, CGTN, Taiyuan, Shanxi Province."