Vietnamese suffer strokes nearly 10 years earlier than global counterparts

Nguyen Huu Thang, vice president of the Vietnam Stroke Association and head of the cerebrovascular disease department at 115 People's Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, has drawn attention to this concerning trend.

The 6,600 stroke patients treated at his hospital had an average age of 62, a finding consistent with data about some 2,300 stroke cases registered in Res-Q, a global stroke registry, he said.

Meanwhile, data from the World Health Organization (WHO), the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.K.'s Oxford University and the U.S.'s Yale School of Medicine indicates the global average age is between 70 and 75 years.

Thang said strokes could result in severe, long-term impacts such as disabilities, paralysis, speech impairment, and diminished sensory abilities, disrupting daily life and employment.

He pointed to several contributing factors to the growing incidence of strokes among younger demographics globally, including hypertension, chronic diseases, rapid urbanization, air pollution, limited healthcare access, substance abuse, genetic factors, and low public awareness of stroke prevention.

To better address this public health concern, he emphasized the urgent need for more comprehensive data to accurately pinpoint the average stroke age in Vietnam, which would help formulate effective prevention strategies and policies.