Blood Pressure and Stroke: Slight Elevations Increase Risk

A recent study shows that high blood pressure-otherwise known as hypertension-can greatly increase the risk of a stroke. However, findings also note that only slightly increased blood pressure levels could be enough to raise stroke risk.

"This meta-analysis confirms evidence from many studies, and I think it continues to warn physicians and the public that more vigorous control of blood pressure is important for reducing stroke risk," said Dr. Ralph Sacco, chairman of neurology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, via WebMD. Sacco was not a part of the review. "The findings confirm that even mild to moderate levels of elevated blood pressure are important for determining stroke risk."

For the study, researchers examined information on 760,000 participants who were monitored for 36 years. They found that those with higher blood pressure levels had an increased risk of stroke.

As they focused on prehypertension levels, which typically range between 120/80 mmHg and 140/90 mmHg, they also discovered that individuals with these higher levels were at a 66 percent increased rate of suffering from a stroke than those with normal readings.

Findings even showed that those with different levels of prehypertension-including blood pressure over 130/85 mmHg-had an increased stroke risk of 95 percent when compared to those with normal readings.

In fact, researchers found that 20 percent of the strokes that occurred throughout the study actually occurred in patients with prehypertension.

Researchers conclude that blood pressure drugs may not be prescribed enough to address the situation for at-risk patients and in finding ways to reduce blood pressure levels, along with a healthy diet and exercise.

What do you think?

The study was published in Neurology.