Managing high blood pressure in hypertensive patients with an acute ischemic stroke

Introduction

Arterial hypertension (AH) is one of the key risk factors and triggers for the development of acute cerebrovascular accident. The purpose of the study is to investigate the peculiarities and rates of blood pressure reduction in AH patients during the acute period of ischemic stroke depending on the patients’ sex, age, medical history, and clinical characteristics.

Material and methods

The study involved 120 patients aged 41–77 years, of whom there were 47 (39.2%) men and 73 (60.8%) women. All enrolled patients had established diagnoses of AH and acute ischemic cerebrovascular accident (acute ischemic stroke, AIS), with the latter diagnosed within the first 24 h from onset. The follow-up period was 14 days.

Results

An increase in diastolic blood pressure was associated with higher scores on the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS, r = 0.301, p = 0.026) and Rankin scale (r = 0.225, p = 0.030), as well as a worse health status at the time of discharge from hospital (r = 0.318, p = 0.021).

Conclusion

Diastolic blood pressure can be considered a marker of the severity of neurological disorders in AIS, which should be considered when monitoring such patients.