Stroke Signs: Remember BE-FAST and Call 1122

What does it mean?

A stroke happens when blood flow to part of the brain is blocked (ischemic stroke, the most common type) or when a blood vessel in the brain bursts (hemorrhagic stroke). Brain cells begin dying within minutes of losing blood supply. Unlike a heart attack, a stroke is often painless — and its early signs are easy to dismiss as tiredness, low sugar or "just dizziness." That dismissal is deadly: stroke is a leading cause of death and the leading cause of serious long-term disability worldwide. The single biggest factor in survival and recovery is speed — which is why every family should memorize BE-FAST before they ever need it.

Common causes

• 1"Time is brain."
  According to neurologist Jeffrey Saver's widely cited calculation (Stroke journal, 2006), about 1.9 million neurons die every minute a stroke goes untreated — damage that quickly becomes permanent.
• 2BE-FAST catches what FAST misses.
  The BE-FAST method (proposed by Aroor et al. in the journal Stroke; now taught by the American Stroke Association) adds two early signs: B — Balance: sudden loss of balance, coordination, dizziness or trouble walking E — Eyes: sudden vision changes — blurred, double or lost vision in one or both eyes F — Face: one side of the face droops or feels numb — ask the person to smile A — Arms: one arm drifts down or feels weak/numb when both are raised S — Speech: slurred speech, wrong words, or trouble understanding — ask them to repeat a simple sentence T — Time: call 1122 immediately — note the exact time symptoms started
• 3Clot-busting treatment has a short window.
  Intravenous clot-busting medicine (thrombolysis) is generally given within 4.5 hours of symptom onset, and clot-removal procedures (mechanical thrombectomy) can help selected patients up to 24 hours — but only with advanced hospital imaging. Earlier is always better.
• 4A "mini-stroke" (TIA) is a warning, not a relief.
  A transient ischemic attack causes stroke-like symptoms that fade within minutes or hours — but the American Stroke Association reports that nearly 1 in 5 people who have a suspected TIA will have a stroke within 90 days, and half of those happen within the first 48 hours. Treat a TIA as an emergency too.
• 5Only about 2 in 3 people
  recognize all major stroke symptoms and know to call emergency services immediately (CDC). Memorizing BE-FAST puts you ahead of most people.

When to worry

Prevention & practical tips

• ✓Call 1122 at the FIRST sign. Do not wait to see if symptoms improve. Tell the operator: "I think this is a stroke" and the exact time symptoms began.
• ✓Do not drive the person yourself. Ambulance crews can pre-alert the hospital's stroke team, saving critical minutes.
• ✓Note the time. Treatment eligibility depends on when symptoms started. Write it down.
• ✓Keep the person still and safe. Lay them on their side if they vomit or feel drowsy, so they do not choke.
• ✓Do NOT give food, water or any medicine (including aspirin) — a stroke patient may not be able to swallow safely, and some strokes are caused by bleeding, where aspirin would harm.
• ✓After the emergency: follow the neurologist's plan exactly — blood pressure control, prescribed medicines, physiotherapy, and speech therapy if needed. Rehabilitation works best when started early.

FAQs

References

• Stroke journal, 2006: https://reference.medscape.com/medline/abstract/16339467
• American Stroke Association reports: https://www.stroke.org/en/about-stroke/types-of-stroke/tia-transient-ischemic-attack