Memory aids

"The simplest way to control blood pressure is with medication, but the challenge is remembering to take the pills," Anderson said, adding that it is not just a problem in China, but around the world. "We are human, we forget, we get distracted."

Those human failings have prompted the introduction of measures that help people to remember to take their medication.

One method that has proved effective in Australia is SMS messages sent to patients' mobile phones that provide reminders in a personalized, relevant, fresh and simple manner, such as: "Good morning, XXXX. How are you feeling today? Did you take your pills? How's the exercise program going? Have you given up cigarettes today?"

Although strokes can happen at any age, even in babies, the problem is most acute in older people, and there are age disparities in different countries. For example, the average age of Chinese stroke patients is 65, while it is about 75 in Western countries, according to Anderson.

"It's linked very closely to getting older, because of the hardening of the blood vessels," he said. "They harden as you get older, your heart gets a bit bigger and you get a bit fatter, and that puts a bit more strain on your circulation and heart."

A report published in January by Peking Union Medical College and the Chinese Aging Well Association estimated that next year more than 250 million people in China will be age 60 and older - accounting for almost 20 percent of the population - while the country will officially become an aging society in 2026.

The report said the rapid rise in the aging population will pose challenges to economic growth because a shrinking number of workers will have to pay the rising social security bill.

It estimated that spending on elderly people, such as medical care and pensions, will account for 26.24 percent of GDP in 2050, compared with 7.33 percent in 2015.