New research by Prof. Peter Rothwell sheds light on stroke prevention

When it comes to strokes, many people will remember the acronym FAST: Face, Arms, Speech, Time. This public education campaign promotes recognition of the symptoms of a major stroke and has been largely successful, says Professor Peter Rothwell, St Edmund Hall Fellow and Action Research Professor of Neurology.

Yet new research conducted by Professor Rothwell shows that the FAST campaign does not help people to recognise the warning signs of transient ischemic attacks (TIA), also known as mini-strokes. TIAs are often precursors to major strokes, which means that early recognition of these symptoms could help to reduce the number of major strokes suffered, lessening the strain on the NHS.

Find out more about Professor Rothwell’s research on the University of Oxford website.