He/she is having a stroke!
IK-tus — Latin word, two syllables. Stress on first. Also called 'colpo apoplettico' (old term) or 'ictus cerebrale'.
Report suspected stroke immediately. Time lost = brain lost ('il tempo è cervello'). The FAST test helps identify stroke signs.
'Ictus' is the standard Italian medical term for stroke. The FAST acronym works in Italian too: Face (Faccia), Arms (Braccia), Speech (Linguaggio), Time (Tempo). Tell the dispatcher the FAST findings: 'Ha la bocca storta' (twisted mouth), 'Non riesce a sollevare un braccio' (cannot raise an arm), 'Parla in modo strano' (speaking strangely).
Ha la bocca storta e non riesce a parlare bene.
His mouth is twisted and he cannot speak properly.
Facial drooping and speech difficulty — two FAST stroke signs
Non riesce a sollevare il braccio sinistro.
He cannot raise his left arm.
Arm weakness — third FAST sign. Act immediately.
Ha perso la vista da un occhio.
He has lost vision in one eye.
Sudden vision loss in one eye can be a stroke sign — report it
Italy has 'reti ictus' (stroke networks) in all major cities — integrated systems connecting 118, ambulance, and stroke centres ('stroke unit'). The critical time window is 4.5 hours for thrombolysis (clot-busting treatment) and up to 24 hours for mechanical thrombectomy at specialised centres. Italy's stroke mortality rates have improved significantly with these networks. The ISS promotes the FAST test in national awareness campaigns.