A recent study conducted at the University of Georgia has revealed that aggressive treatment of hypertension in stroke patients might not always be the best approach in the long term.
Elevated blood pressure is a common occurrence in stroke patients, with around 60% of patients admitted to U.S. emergency rooms having high blood pressure at the time of their stroke.
High blood pressure at the time of stroke can lead to higher rates of death and major disability, making it a serious concern for medical professionals.
In the study, researchers aimed to identify the balance between maintaining blood flow to the brain and reducing negative short- and long-term effects.
They analyzed the link between blood pressure during a stroke and both short- and long-term health outcomes for over 4,000 Chinese stroke patients.
The researchers divided the patients into two groups; one group received extensive treatment for high blood pressure, while a control group received no treatment at the time of their stroke.
The team discovered that stroke patients whose systolic blood pressure was maintained at around 140 mmHg experienced fewer negative health outcomes, such as a second stroke, death, or heart disease.
The researchers suggested that lowering blood pressure too much with medications could potentially work against the body’s protective response to maintain blood flow into the affected brain tissues.
This study’s findings suggest that it may be better to keep blood pressure a little higher than normal, closer to 140/90 mmHg instead of the standard “good” blood pressure of 120/80 mmHg.
However, this leaves the question of best practices for treating hypertension in stroke patients a little open-ended.
It is important to remember that every patient is different, and medical professionals must carefully consider each patient’s specific circumstances when deciding on treatment options.
This study was conducted by Changwei Li et al and published in the American Journal of Hypertension.
It highlights the importance of carefully considering the long-term implications of hypertension treatment for stroke patients and the need for further research in this area.
If you care about blood pressure, please see recent studies about 5 medicines to treat high blood pressure, and vitamin D could improve blood pressure in people with diabetes.
For more information about stroke, please see recent studies about how Mediterranean diet could protect your brain health, and coffee could help lower your risk of stroke and dementia.
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