Abstract

High blood pressure (BP) is the strongest risk factor for stroke. It is estimated that almost 50% of strokes may be attributable to hypertension. Both diastolic and isolated systolic hypertension are important predictors of primary or recurrent strokes, and even minor decreases in BP can reduce the risk of stroke. While the primary prevention of stroke through the treatment of hypertension is well established, the issue of lowering BP after a stroke has been uncertain, particularly since this might worsen cerebral perfusion if autoregulation remains chronically damaged or severe carotid artery stenosis is present. Furthermore, there is substantial evidence to support BP lowering for prevention of a first stroke; however, few trials have focused on antihypertensive therapy for recurrent stroke prevention. In fact, currently, BP management in patients with strokes remains problematic, and questions such as the choice of antihypertensive drug and by how much to reduce BP are yet to be resolved. Recently, the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association published updated guidelines for recurrent stroke prevention, and new recommendations on BP management have been included. Our review presents the most recent evidence on the management of hypertension in patients who have had a stroke.

Links

Publisher Full Text

Authors

Castilla-Guerra L, Fernández-Moreno Mdel C

Institution

Department of Internal Medicine, Hospital de la Merced, Osuna, Spain. castillafernandez @ hotmail.com

Source

European neurology 68:1 2012 pg 1-7

MeSH

Antihypertensive Agents
Clinical Trials as Topic
Humans
Hypertension
Practice Guidelines as Topic
Secondary Prevention
Stroke

Pub Type(s)

Journal Article
Review

Language

eng

PubMed ID

22627064