Background Stroke remains the second leading cause of death and the third leading cause of death and disability combined among non-communicable diseases worldwide, with an estimated 11.9 million incident strokes occurring each year.1 In China, stroke imposes a substantial public health burden, with a prevalence of 2.6% among adults aged ≥40 years in 2020, corresponding to about 17.8 million prevalent cases and 3.4 million first-ever strokes.2 Approximately one-third of stroke survivors...
