200,000 Vietnamese people suffer strokes each year, and half of them die, making the illness the third deadly killer only after heart failure and cancer and the top cause of permanent disabilities.

The figures were released at a workshop held at Ho Chi Minh City-based Cho Ray Hospital on Oct 30.

Cerebral hemorrhage accounts for 50% of the cases. 90% of stroke victims suffer permanent disabilities including partial or complete paralysis, hemiparesis, or one-sided weakness, and brain damage. Stroke victims also suffer several attacks, with the following ones typically more severe than the first, Prof. Le Quang Cuong, deputy Minister of Health, said.

Despite the high casualty rate, stroke survivors can recover partially or even fully from the disease and return to normal life if their health problem is detected early and treated properly and in time.

There is an increasingly large number of young Vietnamese people suffering from strokes. The 115 Hospital has received and treated dozens of stroke patients who are under 20 years old.

Only 16 units at hospitals countrywide provide stroke detection and treatment, which fails to meet the local rising needs.

According to Prof. Stephen Davis, president of World Stroke Organization, 16 million people around the world suffer strokes on average each year and 6 million don’t make it. People in low- and medium-income countries account for 85% of stroke victims and Asians make up 60% of the cases.

A stroke, or cerebrovascular accident (CVA), is the rapid loss of brain function(s) due to a disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia (lack of blood flow) caused by blockages (thrombosis, arterial embolism), or a hemorrhage.