October 29th is World Stroke Day...Neighbors, hands, feet, and eyes can tell
Oct 29, 2025
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On World Stroke Day, the Korean Stroke Association (Chairman Hwang Sung-hee, Hanlim Medical University, Chairman Kim Kyung-moon, Sungkyunkwan Medical University) emphasized that it is most important to remember the suspected stroke symptoms of 'neighbor's hand starting line' and receive prompt treatment within golden time.
Stroke is a condition caused by sudden cerebral blood flow disorders (closing of cerebrovascular: ischemic stroke, cerebral infarction; ruptured cerebrovascular: hemorrhagic stroke). Stroke is the fourth-largest disease for death in Korea and the first disease for adult disability, with 110,000 to 150,000 new stroke patients annually, and the number of stroke patients is expected to increase more rapidly in Korea, which has entered an ultra-aged society.
The most important thing in a stroke is to get proper treatment within golden time. In particular, in the treatment of cerebral infarction, which accounts for 80% of all strokes, 'Golden Time' is directly related to the patient's life, sequelae, and socioeconomic burden, so it is important to start treatment as soon as possible.
"The golden time for cerebral infarction is 4.5 hours after symptom onset, and the time for intravenous thrombolytic agent administration is possible," said Kim Tae-jung, public relations director of the Korean Stroke Association (Seoul National University of Medicine). "Considering test and drug preparation time, they should arrive at the hospital at least 3 hours after symptom onset.", he explained. "If a large blood vessel is blocked, an intraarterial thrombectomy is required, and generally within 6 hours is recommended, but depending on the imaging findings, a maximum of 24 hours can be tried."," he added.
Chairman Kim Kyung-moon (Sungkyunkwan University of Medicine) emphasized that "administration of intravenous thrombolytic agents more than doubles the probability of independent daily life 3 months after the onset, and successful intraarterial thrombectomy increases the likelihood of a good prognosis by 2.5 times.". In addition, "After treatment for early-stage and acute strokes, risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and atrial fibrillation are controlled, and in the case of cerebral infarction, anti-thrombotic drugs are used to prevent stroke recurrence."
According to the Korean Stroke Registration Business Report, less than 30% of patients still arrive at the hospital within 3 hours of symptom onset. Hwang Sung-hee, chairman of the Korean Stroke Association (Department of Neurology at Hanlim University of Medicine), said "More than 70% of patients visit the hospital late and miss the opportunity to treat them within golden time."Quick 119 reports and visits to the stroke center are the key to saving lives and reducing aftereffects."
Stroke symptoms occur suddenly, and suspected stroke symptoms include facial paralysis, pronunciation disorders, unilateral paralysis, aphasia, ocular displacement, visual disturbance, severe dizziness, and severe headaches. Therefore, it is important to remember 'neighbor Son Bal-Seon' in normal times.
Here, ▲'neighbor' refers to a case where one can't laugh (facial paralysis) ▲'hand' refers to a case where one's hands can't reach forward or one's arms and legs have more strength (one-sided paralysis) ▲'foot' pronunciation becomes awkward or speechless (pronunciation disorder, aphasia) ▲ gaze refers to a case where one's gaze is focused to one side (eye coordination).
In addition, if you have symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, disorientation, and abdominal pain that you have not experienced, you should immediately visit a nearby stroke center through 119.
There are 77 stroke centers certified by the Korean Stroke Association that can treat ultra-high-level patients and 11 general stroke centers that can perform reperfusion treatment (intravenous thrombolysis and intraarterial thrombectomy). You can check the stroke center near you on the website of the Stroke Association.
The Korean Stroke Association said "Since the cerebrovascular is clogged and 2 million brain cells are damaged after a minute, getting treatment quickly even within the golden time is directly linked to the prognosis. Therefore, it is necessary to remember the symptoms of stroke and immediately report them to 119 when symptoms occur and visit the stroke center."
The Korean Stroke Association is also holding an online quiz event to raise awareness of stroke. The event, which will be available until November 6, will be held by watching YouTube videos and solving quizzes on major symptoms of stroke.
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This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
