It is shown that hypertension is associated with the occurrence of stroke but immediate treatment for an acute stroke itself is unclear. This study randomized 4071 acute stroke patients enrolled in an anti-hypertensive treatment (systolic pressure reduction by 10-25 % in the first 24 hours) versus control (stopping all antihypertensive drugs).
The study included patients experiencing stroke within the first 48 hours and had a systolic pressure between 140 and 220 mm Hg without evidence of target organ damage (aortic dissection, myocardial ischemia, etc.) The primary end point was a composite of death and severe disability (modified Rankin scale ≥ 3 ) at 14 days or at the time of discharge that was similar between the two groups (OR 1.00 , 95% CI 0.88 – 1.14, p = .98 ) . At 3 months the results were also identical between the two groups.
Conclusion:
In patients experiencing an acute stroke immediate reduction in blood pressure compared with the absence of anti-hypertensive treatment did not reduce the incidence of death or severe disability.
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Jiang He
2013-11-17
Original title: CATIS trial: Blood Pressure Reduction Among Ischemic Stroke Patients: a Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial