More young Chinese face risk of stroke

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02:08

Zhou Wei had a stroke last winter at the age of 35. It paralyzed the left side of his body and left him unable to talk. He has spent the last several months in rehabilitation at the Provincial Acupuncture Hospital in Taiyuan, capital of north China's Shanxi Province.

After five months of acupuncture and other treatments, he's able to talk and move a bit again.

"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," Zhou said.

When asked about his family, Zhou said he missed his daughter very much. His mother, who was by his side, shed some tears when she heard this.

Forty-four-year-old Chang Jian is another patient at the hospital. His wife, Li Runhua, has been taking care of him.

"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," said Li.

Chang Jian is still not able to take care of himself and needs help from his wife. /CGTN Photo

Chang could not move nor talk when hit by a stroke 40 days ago. And when recalling the exact moment it hit, his wife couldn't hold back the tears. "I was so scared when he had the stroke," she said. "Our daughter also felt shocked at her father's illness and it has affected her academic performance already."

Li also blamed herself for having not persuaded her husband to live a healthy lifestyle. But she's determined this time and has decided to force him to get rid of unhealthy habits after he is discharged from hospital.

Zhou and Chang are among a rising number of stroke patients in China. Around the world, every six seconds, someone dies of a stroke, according to the World Health Organization. And in China, the disease is the number one cause of deaths and disabilities among adults.

In a 2018 Report on Strokes and Prevention and Treatment in China, it was found that stroke fatalities had risen sharply since 2005, and the average victim is getting younger. Hospitals have seen the trend.

The nurse helps a stroke patient to stretch fingers in Shanxi Provincial Acupuncture Hospital. /CGTN Photo

Chen Xiaofei works as chief physician in the Neurology Department of Shanxi Hospital of Heart and Blood Vessel Disease. The 30-year medical veteran said she has seen a rising number of younger stroke patients in recent years. "Stroke was a common disease among the elderly above the age of 70. But now we've seen more patients at around 40 or 50," she said.

Chen said unhealthy lifestyles are to blame. "Unhealthy diet and lifestyle often lead to blood problems, including among those who smoke heavily or drink too much. And blood problems increase the risk of stroke."

Chinese traditional acupuncture now plays an important role in the rehabilitation of stroke patients. /CGTN Photo

Stroke often causes disability. Many survivors choose to rehabilitate in the Shanxi Provincial Acupuncture Hospital.

Zhang Jie, deputy head of the hospital, said, "We've developed 12 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."

Doctors also emphasize that more advertising and publicity about strokes are necessary, especially for youngsters, to raise awareness. They say that's where better prevention of the often fatal attacks will start.