World Stroke Day
October 29
One in four of us will have a stroke in our lifetime. And 90% of those strokes could be prevented by addressing a small number of risk factors including high blood pressure (hypertension), irregular heartbeat (atrial fibrillation), smoking, diet and exercise.
Join us on October 29th to drive public awareness of stroke symptoms and the need to #ActFAST. With 1 in 4 of us at risk of stroke in our lifetime, it’s in everyone’s interest to know the signs of stroke. Time lost is brain lost and seeking emergency care as soon as symptoms are spotted saves lives and can enable treatments that improve our chances of a full recovery.
#WorldStrokeDay is focused primarily on prevention with a focus on getting a health check to identify and help manage key risk factors for stroke
- hypertension
- smoking
- atrial fibrillation
- cholesterol
- diabetes
Check for signs of a stroke
The main symptoms of a stroke can happen suddenly. They may include:
- face weakness – one side of your face may droop (fall) and it might be hard to smile
- arm weakness – you may not be able to fully lift both arms and keep them there because of weakness or numbness in 1 arm
- speech problems – you may slur your words or sound confused
The easiest way to remember these symptoms is the word FAST. This stands for: face, arms, speech and time to call 999.
#ActFast
Sources: World Stroke Day 2025 | World Stroke Organization