With improved life expectancy and an ageing population, India is fast experiencing a rise in non-communicable diseases as a cause of morbidity and death. Stroke has now emerged as the fourth leading cause of death and is also the fifth leading cause of disability in India. Some reports suggest that 1 in 5 women and 1 in 6 men over the age of 55 are at risk of suffering a stroke. This means that someone in your family or simply someone you come across could be at risk of a stroke. As the risk of mortality or death increases with delays in treatment, it’s important for all of us to recognize the warning signs of a stroke and deal with such an emergency situation appropriately.
BE FAST is a mnemonic device or pattern of letters that helps to learn and memorize information. In this case, the mnemonic is used to memorize and recognize warning signs of a stroke. The FAST mnemonic (Face, Arm, Speech, Time) has long been used by the American Heart Association and other international health associations to raise stroke awareness among the general public. Instead of delving into the meaning of the original mnemonic, it makes sense to look at the revision that was first suggested in the Jan 2017 issue of Stroke journal – BE FAST!
The acronym or mnemonic BE FAST can help you to quickly identify the early warning signs of a stroke in anyone, giving you the opportunity to take quick action that could help save their life and lower the risk and severity of permanent disability. This is what it means:
| Letter | Word | Symptom/Call To Action |
|---|---|---|
| B | Balance | Sudden loss of balance and coordination skills. |
| E | Eyes | Visual impairment such as blurring or double vision. |
| F | Face | Facial drooping that can be recognized with inability to smile normally. |
| A | Arms | Weakness on one side that can be seen if the individual is asked to raise both arms, but one side is weak. |
| S | Speech | Slurring of speech and any difficulty speaking coherently. |
| T | Time | Time for you to take action and seek emergency medical attention at a stroke ready centre. Although not a symptom, this is most critical as it has the greatest impact on stroke outcomes. |
The FAST mnemonic was revised to BE FAST as researchers found that many stroke victims did not have any FAST symptoms and among these patients 42% had problems with balance and 40% experienced visual symptoms. BE FAST helps to close this gap, by widening the range of stroke warning signs that you can recognize.
Keep in mind, that although the risk of stroke increases with advancing age, it can also affect younger adults under the age of 55.
