blood pressure

To significantly lower the risk of secondary stroke, clinicians should aim for intensive blood pressure control of less than 130/80 mm Hg, according to Japanese researchers.

In an initial study of 1,200 stroke patients, investigators found that patients whose blood pressure was kept lower than 120/80 mm Hg had a lower, but not significantly lower, risk of stroke recurrence when compared to those who whose blood pressure was controlled at the standard rate of less than 140/90 mm Hg. But when this finding was added to results of an updated meta-analysis, intensive blood pressure treatment significantly reduced stroke recurrence – by 22% – wrote the study’s lead author Kazuo Kitagawa, M.D., Ph.D.

Based on the meta-analysis results, Kitagawa and colleagues said intensive blood pressure control of less than 130/80 mm Hg is likely to be the most beneficial target for patients with a history of stroke. 

Read the study