Scientific Insights into Cerebral Stroke

Dr. Zhao Wenbo opened the lecture with a real-life case: a 38-year-old man experienced symptoms of stroke in the middle of the night but chose to go back to sleep instead of calling emergency services. This case shattered the common belief that “stroke only happens to the elderly,” sending a clear warning: stroke is not far from the young.

Dr. Zhao emphasized that over 80% of strokes are preventable, yet misinformation and “survivor bias” often lead people to underestimate the severity of the condition. Alarming statistics reveal that up to 39.2% of Chinese people aged 25 and above are at risk of stroke — with high rates of incidence, disability, mortality, and recurrence.

He systematically outlined the two main types of stroke — ischemic stroke and hemorrhagic stroke — and explained their prevalence and associated death rates. Using clear and accessible language, he broke down the mechanism of atherosclerosis leading to thrombosis, and identified…