Blood pressure reduction in acute ischemic stroke according to time to treatment: a subgroup analysis of the China Antihypertensive Trial in Acute Ischemic Stroke trial

Objective: The optimal time to initiate antihypertensive therapy among patients with acute ischemic stroke remains uncertain. We tested the effects of blood pressure reduction among patients with acute ischemic stroke according to time from onset to initiation of antihypertensive treatment. Methods: We randomly assigned 4071 acute ischemic stroke patients with elevated SBP to receive antihypertensive treatment or to discontinue all antihypertensive medications during hospitalization. The primary outcome was a combination of death and major disability, and secondary outcomes included the modified Rankin score, recurrent stroke, vascular disease events, and all-cause mortality. Results: At 24 h after randomization, the differences in SBP reductions were 8.7, 9.5, and 9.6 mmHg between the antihypertensive treatment and control groups among patients receiving treatment within less than 12, 12–23, and 24–48 h after stroke onset, respectively (P 
Source: Journal of Hypertension - Category: Cardiology Tags: ORIGINAL PAPERS: Stroke and cognitive decline Source Type: research