Preventing stroke in hypertensive patients at risk

Stroke mortality rate in each decade of age vs. (A) SBP or (B) DBP at the start of that decade, based on meta-analysis of individual data from 1 million adults in 62 prospective studies. CI, confidence interval; DBP, diastolic blood pressure; SBP, systolic blood pressure. Reprinted with permission from Lewington S, Clarke R, Qizilbash N, Peto R, Collins R. Prospective studies collaboration. Age-specific relevance of usual blood pressure to vascular mortality: a meta-analysis of individual data for one million adults in 61 prospective studies. Lancet 2002;360:1903–13.⁷

Reduction in stroke among hypertensive adults with LVH treated once daily with losartan-based or atenolol-based antihypertensive treatment for >4 years in the Losartan Intervention For Endpoint reduction in hypertension (LIFE) Study. (A) mean BP during the study. (B) Kaplan-Meier curve of the proportion patients with stroke (fatal and nonfatal) in each treatment group. BP, blood pressure; LVH, left ventricular hypertrophy. Reprinted with permission from Dahlöf B, Devereux RB, Kjeldsen SE, Julius S, Beevers G, de Faire U, et al. Cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in the Losartan Intervention For Endpoint reduction in hypertension study (LIFE): a randomised trial against atenolol. Lancet 2002;359:995–1003.¹⁷

Change in LVMI and SBP following treatment with telmisartan or carvedilol. LVMI, left ventricular mass index; MRI, magnetic resonance imaging; SBP, systolic blood pressure. Reproduced with permission from Galzerano D, Tammaro P, del Viscovo L, Lama D, Galzerano A, Breglio R, et al. Three-dimensional echocardiographic and magnetic resonance assessment of the effect of telmisartan compared with carvedilol on left ventricular mass a multicenter, randomized, longitudinal study. Am J Hypertens 2005;18:1563–9.⁴⁴