October 29,2025,marks the 20th World Stroke Day.
This year’s theme is“Recognize Early,Seek Immediate Medical Care.”
Did you know?
The lifetime risk of stroke for people in China is as high as 40%,
the highest among 197 countries worldwide.
Each year,approximately 3.4 million new stroke cases are reported in China,
accounting for about 30%of the global total.
On average,there is one new stroke case every 10 seconds,
and one death from stroke every 28 seconds.
About 80%of survivors are left with lasting disabilities.
Stroke remains the leading cause of death and disability among adults in China.
01
Understanding Stroke Focus on Prevention
Stroke,known as zhòngfēng in Chinese,is an acute cerebrovascular condition,generally classified into two main types:ischemic stroke and hemorrhagic stroke.
Ischemic stroke(or cerebral infarction)occurs when a blood vessel in the brain becomes blocked,cutting off blood flow and causing brain tissue to die from lack of oxygen.
Hemorrhagic stroke(or cerebral hemorrhage)happens when a blood vessel in the brain ruptures,allowing blood to leak into brain tissue or the subarachnoid space.This can cause nerve damage,brain swelling,increased intracranial pressure,and,in severe cases,brain herniation,which can be life-threatening.
Stroke has a sudden onset and progresses rapidly.It is characterized by high incidence,high mortality,significant risk of disability,and frequent recurrence.Therefore,stroke prevention is of paramount importance.Modifiable risk factors include hypertension,diabetes,high cholesterol,and heart disease.
02
Stroke Prevention and Treatment Hydrogen-Oxygen Action
Extensive research has shown that hydrogen–oxygen gas has anti-inflammatory[1],antioxidant[2],and anti-apoptotic[3]properties.In addition,hydrogen molecules are the smallest in nature,allowing them to easily cross the blood-brain barrier,penetrate biological membranes,and act on therapeutic targets such as mitochondria.These characteristics suggest potential benefits for the prevention and treatment of stroke.
A research team led by Professor Yang Wanchao at Harbin Medical University studied the neuroreparative effects of hydrogen–oxygen inhalation after diabetic stroke.Their findings showed that hydrogen–oxygen therapy improved multiple outcomes,including cerebral infarction and brain edema.The study was published in the international journal Journal of Neuroimmune Pharmacology[4].
Building on these promising results from animal studies,researchers at Beijing Tiantan Hospital recruited 206 patients to conduct a single-center,prospective,open-label,randomized controlled human clinical trial.The study protocol has been published in a peer-reviewed paper[5].
Appendix:Stroke Association Releases the"Stroke 120"Mnemonic and the"BEFAST"Mnemonic
References:[1]Cai WW,Zhang MH,Yu YS,et al.,2013.Treatment with hydrogen molecule alleviates TNFα-induced cell injury in osteoblast.Mol Cell Biochem,373(1-2):1-9.[2]Chen HG,Han HZ,Li Y,et al.,2020.Hydrogen alleviated organ injury and dysfunction in sepsis:the role of crosstalk between autophagy and endoplasmic reticulum stress:experimental research.Int Immunopharmacol,78:106049.[3]Jiang Y,Liu G,Zhang L,et al.,2018.Therapeutic efficacy of hydrogen-rich saline alone and in combination with PI3K inhibitor in non-small cell lung cancer.Mol Med Rep,18(2):2182-2190.[4]Yang WC,Li TT,Wan Q,Zhang X,Sun LY,Zhang YR,Lai PC,Li WZ.Molecular Hydrogen Mediates Neurorestorative Effects After Stroke in Diabetic Rats:the TLR4/NF-κB Inflammatory Pathway.J Neuroimmune Pharmacol.2023 Jun;18(1-2):90-99.[5]Lin F,Li R,Chen Y,Yang J,Wang K,Jia Y,Han H,Hao Q,Shi G,Wang S,Zhao Y,Chen X.Early Hydrogen-Oxygen Gas Mixture Inhalation in Patients with Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage(HOMA):study protocol for a randomized controlled trial.Trials.2024 Jun 11;25(1):377.
