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Effective blood pressure control can potentially reduce the risk of a stroke by nearly 50%, said experts from the Indian Stroke Association. They stress on the need to educate the public on the importance of regular blood pressure monitoring for individuals aged 18 and above. They were speaking at a health programme, titled “Brain Stroke: Time to Act”, organised by the Indian Stroke Association (ISA), in collaboration with the Department of Neurology, AIIMS, Mangalagiri, on Sunday (November 09, 2025). The programme, designed to strengthen awareness, diagnosis, and management of brain strokes, brought together physicians, emergency medicine specialists, resident neurologists, and internal medicine trainees from across the country. Indian Stroke Association president P. Vijaya participated as the chief guest. More than 300 delegates participated in the interactive sessions that focussed on early recognition, timely intervention, and multidisciplinary approaches to reduce stroke-related disability and mortality. The association members urged the public to remember the BEFAST acronym to identify stroke symptoms, which stands for B – Balance: sudden loss of balance or coordination; E – Eyes: sudden vision problems in one or both eyes; F – Face: facial drooping or uneven smile; A – Arms: weakness or numbness in one arm; S – Speech: slurred or incoherent speech; T – Time: time to act fast and rush to a stroke-ready hospital. The event concluded while highlighting importance of community-level education and timely intervention, reminding everyone that stroke is both preventable and treatable, but only when recognised early and acted upon without delay.
