Treatment of hypertension effectively reduces the risk of stroke. However, many treated patients still have high blood pressure (BP), other cardiovascular risk factors, and complications. The risk of stroke in treated hypertensive patients is not well understood.
We analyzed the level of BP over 1 year before the onset of stroke and other cardiovascular risk factors in treated hypertensive patients in a case-control study. The study population included 126 hypertensive patients (74 men; mean age, 70.9 years) with first strokes during 1988–1993 who had been treated for >1 year before stroke onset (stroke group). As a control group, we selected 126 sex- and age-matched hypertensive patients who were treated during the same period and were free from stroke.
The onset of stroke in treated hypertensive patients was related to a higher level of BP in subjects <70 years old, although this relationship was not obvious in older patients. The risk of stroke in these patients was associated with the presence of metabolic risk factors and cardiovascular complications. Office BP did not change significantly 1 month before the onset of stroke