Hospital Authority reports rising stroke cases among young adults and improved treatment outcomes

The Hospital Authority (HA) has noted an increase in stroke cases, particularly among younger adults, while highlighting significant improvements in acute stroke care that have reduced treatment times and lowered one-year mortality rates.

The authority recorded about 19,000 preliminary stroke diagnoses last year. Stroke is increasingly affecting younger people, with the incidence among those aged 18 to 55 rising from 39.1 per 100,000 in 2001 to 55.7 per 100,000 in 2021.

Hospital Authority Hospital Chief Executive Dr Tsang Chi-chung said the authority has continuously enhanced stroke services.

Since July 2020, all public hospital emergency departments can provide 24-hour intravenous thrombolysis. Since March last year, seven hospitals have offered round-the-clock endovascular thrombectomy.

Between 2021 and 2025, key treatment times for acute stroke improved markedly. The median time from emergency room arrival to thrombolysis dropped from 68 minutes to 58 minutes, while the wait for thrombectomy fell from 110 minutes to 93 minutes, both meeting national standards.

The one-year mortality rate for stroke patients also declined, from 24.6 percent in 2021 to 16.4 percent last year.

Tuen Mun Hospital and Queen Mary Hospital became Hong Kong’s first nationally certified stroke centers late last year. A third center is planned at Prince of Wales Hospital this year.