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Hypertension As a Risk Factor for Stroke

Epidemiology of Blood Pressure Risks and Evidence for Treatment Benefit

  • Chapter
Handbook of Stroke Prevention in Clinical Practice

Part of the book series: Current Clinical Neurology ((CCNEU))

Abstract

Hypertension is a highly prevalent, major risk factor for stroke in both men and women in the developed world. Recent data from population-based studies emphasize the substantial risks conferred by elevated levels of systolic blood pressure (SBP) over and above diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and the risks of borderline elevations in SBP. Decades of randomized treatment trials have demonstrated the clear net benefit on stroke and cardiovascular disease (CVD) conferred by antihypertensive therapy. Recent data emphasize the stroke prevention benefits of treatment of isolated systolic hypertension and the benefits of nonpharmacological dietary and other lifestyle interventions for lowering elevated blood pressure. Many classes of antihypertensive agents are available, and the largest trial comparing the risks and benefits of commonly used agents, the Antihypertensive and Lipid-Lowering Treatment to Prevent Heart Attack (ALLHAT) trial, provided evidence for a net benefit from diuretic therapy as the initial agent. Here, we review the epidemiology of hypertension, the relations of hypertension with risk for stroke, and the evidence for benefit from pharmacological and nonpharmacological treatments.

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Authors
  1. Donald M. Lloyd-Jones
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  2. Christopher J. O’Donnell
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

    Karen L. Furie MD, MPH  & Peter J. Kelly MD, MS, MRCPI  & 

  2. Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Karen L. Furie MD, MPH

  3. Mater Misericordiae University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland

    Peter J. Kelly MD, MS, MRCPI

  4. University College, Dublin, Ireland

    Peter J. Kelly MD, MS, MRCPI

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© 2004 Humana Press Inc., Totowa, NJ

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Lloyd-Jones, D.M., O’Donnell, C.J. (2004). Hypertension As a Risk Factor for Stroke. In: Furie, K.L., Kelly, P.J. (eds) Handbook of Stroke Prevention in Clinical Practice. Current Clinical Neurology. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59259-769-7_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-59259-769-7_3

  • Publisher Name: Humana Press, Totowa, NJ

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4684-9856-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-59259-769-7

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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