- Email: [email protected]
Blood Pressure, cerebrovascular disease, and stroke
Seminars in Cerebrovascular Diseasesand Stroke Vol, 3 No. 3 2003
Introduction
Blood Pressure, Cerebrovascular Disease, and Stroke Although it has long been recognized that elevated blood pressure is a major determinant of the risk for stroke, the value of antihypertensive therapy in the primary prevention, and in the secondary prevention has undergone substantial scrutiny recently. The articles in this issue address these new findings from several different perspectives and provide new insights into how best to prevent stroke and how to treat blood pressure during the acute episode as well as its aftermath. A new finding has been the observation, from many important recent trials, that blood-pressure reduction may reduce dementia and improve cognitive function in older poimlations typically exhibiting systolic blood-pressure elevation. These findings provide strong impetus to the aggressive treatment of hypertension for the prevention of stroke and cerebrovascular disease and suggest the benefit of specific antihypertensive drug therapy. Ongoing and future trials devoted to these issues can be expected to provide confirmation of these preliminary observations and a new paradigm for the prevention and more effective treatment of these pressure-related cerebrovascular disorders. Myron H. Weinberger, MD Guest Editor
9 2003 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
1528-9931/03/0303-0001530.00/0 doi: 10.1053/S 1528-9931 (03)00048-7
137
Introduction
Blood Pressure, Cerebrovascular Disease, and Stroke Although it has long been recognized that elevated blood pressure is a major determinant of the risk for stroke, the value of antihypertensive therapy in the primary prevention, and in the secondary prevention has undergone substantial scrutiny recently. The articles in this issue address these new findings from several different perspectives and provide new insights into how best to prevent stroke and how to treat blood pressure during the acute episode as well as its aftermath. A new finding has been the observation, from many important recent trials, that blood-pressure reduction may reduce dementia and improve cognitive function in older poimlations typically exhibiting systolic blood-pressure elevation. These findings provide strong impetus to the aggressive treatment of hypertension for the prevention of stroke and cerebrovascular disease and suggest the benefit of specific antihypertensive drug therapy. Ongoing and future trials devoted to these issues can be expected to provide confirmation of these preliminary observations and a new paradigm for the prevention and more effective treatment of these pressure-related cerebrovascular disorders. Myron H. Weinberger, MD Guest Editor
9 2003 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
1528-9931/03/0303-0001530.00/0 doi: 10.1053/S 1528-9931 (03)00048-7
137