Kozhikode: As the world marks World Stroke Day 2025 on October 29, neurologists across India are stressing the importance of swift action and gender-specific awareness in combating one of the leading causes of death and disability.

This year’s theme — “Brain Stroke: Time to Act” — highlights that every minute counts, because “Time lost is brain lost.”

Explaining the urgency, Dr P Vijaya, Senior Neurologist and President of the Indian Stroke Association (ISA), said: “When it comes to brain stroke, it is ‘Time to Act,’ because time lost is brain lost.”

Dr Vijaya revealed that one in four adults will experience a brain stroke during their lifetime, and that strokes often occur suddenly, without warning. “Stroke is the leading cause of death and disability in India.

Even children and young adults can have a brain stroke, though the causes may differ. Once a stroke happens, 50% of survivors are left with permanent disability,” she explained.

Despite the availability of effective, evidence-based treatments, less than 1% of patients in India receive life-saving IV thrombolysis — primarily because they arrive too late at stroke centers. “

The patient must reach a stroke center within the golden period of four and a half hours,” Dr Vijaya emphasised.

To bridge this gap, the ISA has launched the nationwide awareness campaign “Brain Stroke: Time to Act”, conducting education programs for both the public and medical professionals.

“Every minute matters because 20 lakh neurons die after a brain stroke starts,” Dr Vijaya warned.

She urged the public to remember the acronym BEFAST to recognise stroke symptoms — B for Balance loss, E for Eye vision loss, F for Face drooping, A for Arm weakness, S for Speech difficulty, and T for Time to call emergency services.

Women at a higher risk:

Meanwhile, Dr Rohit Pai, Neurologist at KMC Hospital, Mangalore, pointed out that stroke affects women differently and often goes unnoticed due to atypical symptoms.

“Stroke is the third leading cause of death in females, compared to fifth in males,” Dr Pai said, adding that women face higher stroke risks even at normal blood pressure levels. A systolic BP of 120–129 has the same stroke risk in women as 140–149 in men,” he noted.

He further explained that conditions like pregnancy complications, early menopause, and migraine with aura increase stroke risk in women.

Moreover, women often present with atypical symptoms such as fatigue, confusion, nausea, and headache, which delay diagnosis and treatment.

Both experts reiterated that stroke can strike anyone, anytime, and that public education is key to saving lives. “If anyone shows these symptoms, they must be rushed to the nearest stroke-ready hospital immediately,” said Dr Vijaya.

As World Stroke Day 2025 highlights, timely recognition, treatment, and prevention remain the best defense against the silent and devastating impact of stroke.