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Blood pressure level and outcomes in adults aged 65 and older with prior ischemic stroke.

TitleBlood pressure level and outcomes in adults aged 65 and older with prior ischemic stroke.
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2006
AuthorsKaplan, RC, Tirschwell, DL, Longstreth, WT, Manolio, TA, Heckbert, SR, LeValley, AJ, Lefkowitz, D, El-Saed, A, Psaty, BM
JournalJ Am Geriatr Soc
Volume54
Issue9
Pagination1309-16
Date Published2006 Sep
ISSN0002-8614
KeywordsAged, Aged, 80 and over, Blood Pressure, Brain Ischemia, Female, Follow-Up Studies, Humans, Male, Outcome Assessment, Health Care, Prospective Studies, Recurrence, Stroke, Survival Rate
Abstract<p><b>OBJECTIVES: </b>To examine the association between blood pressure (BP) levels and long-term stroke outcomes in elderly stroke survivors.</p><p><b>DESIGN: </b>Observational study.</p><p><b>SETTING: </b>The Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS) of 5,888 community-dwelling adults.</p><p><b>PARTICIPANTS: </b>Two hundred fifty-four adults aged 65 and older (mean age 78.6) who sustained a nonfatal first ischemic stroke.</p><p><b>MEASUREMENTS: </b>BP levels assessed at prestroke and poststroke CHS visits were examined as predictors of stroke recurrence, coronary heart disease (CHD), combined vascular events (CVEs), and mortality.</p><p><b>RESULTS: </b>Higher poststroke BP level, assessed 261.6 days (mean) after stroke, was associated with higher risk of stroke recurrence over 5.4 years (mean) of follow-up. The multivariate-adjusted hazard ratio for stroke recurrence was 1.42 (95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.03-1.99) per standard deviation (SD) of systolic BP (P = .04) and 1.39 (95% CI = 1.01-1.91) per SD of diastolic BP (P = .04). Mortality was significantly greater in patients with low or high poststroke BP than in those with intermediate BP. Poststroke BP was not associated with risk of CHD or CVE, although further analyses suggested that high systolic BP predicted CHD and CVE in younger but not older subjects. Prestroke BP did not predict poststroke outcomes.</p><p><b>CONCLUSION: </b>In this observational study of adults aged 65 and older assessed approximately 8 months after stroke, low BP was associated with favorable risk of recurrent stroke, although high and low poststroke BP levels were associated with greater mortality. Long-term antihypertensive trials in older stroke survivors would increase knowledge about the benefits of lowering BP in this population.</p>
DOI10.1111/j.1532-5415.2006.00838.x
Alternate JournalJ Am Geriatr Soc
PubMed ID16970636
Grant List5R01AG009556-08 / AG / NIA NIH HHS / United States
N01 HC-15103 / HC / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
N01-HC-35129 / HC / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
N01-HC-85079 / HC / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
N01-HC-85086 / HC / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States
R01 HL43201 / HL / NHLBI NIH HHS / United States