Many stroke patients aren’t treated for hypertension

	Tweet

Although there is evidence that Stroke patients with high or even normal blood pressure can benefit from drug therapy to lower their blood pressure (antihypertensive therapy) at hospital discharge, a large number of patients do not receive these drugs, new research suggests.

The findings also reveal great variability among hospitals in antihypertensive prescription rates for Stroke patients, according to the report published in the medical journal Stroke.

"There should be a concerted effort, involving patients and their doctors, to make sure that patients do not leave the hospital without being on at least one blood pressure agent to reduce their risk for secondary Stroke," lead author Dr. Bruce Ovbiagele, from the University of California at Los Angeles, said in a statement.

The study involved an analysis of data from 764 consecutive patients who were logged in the California Acute Stroke Prototype Registry between 2002 and 2004. The subjects had been treated at 1 of 11 California hospitals for a Stroke or a transient ischemic attack - a mild stroke that leaves the patient without disability.

About 30 percent of subjects were discharged without receiving a prescription for at least one antihypertensive drug. The antihypertensive prescription rates ranged from 55 percent to 100 percent among the hospitals studied.

High Blood Pressure, diabetes, and older age all increased the odds that an antihypertensive agent would be prescribed at discharge, the authors note.

The short-term risk of having another stroke is high. “That makes it even more important to be sure that patients are put on proven therapies for preventing a recurrent event,” Ovbiagele added.

SOURCE: Stroke 2005.

RELATED STORIES:
One Step Closer to Personalized Medicine: Researchers Find First Bio-Marker for MS   Updated Alzheimer’s guidelines add very early stage   Vitamin B12 tied to Alzheimer’s   Canadian boy who was treated in U.S. dies in Ontario   Stroke study sheds light on left-right brain divide   Virtual reality may speed recovery after stroke   Childhood music lessons may provide lifelong boost in brain functioning   Brain detects happiness more quickly than sadness   Advances in stroke detection and treatment   Drinking coffee, having sex are triggers that raise rupture risks for brain aneurysm   Intrathecal Medication Therapy Effective for Painful Post-Herpetic Neuralgia Caused by Shingles   Sleep position may cause apnea in stroke patients

Comments

[ + Post Your Own ]

Now you're in the public comment zone. What follows is not Armenian Medical Network's stuff; it comes from other people and we don't vouch for it. A reminder: By using this Web site you agree to accept our Terms of Service. Click here to read the Rules of Engagement.

There are no comments for this entry yet. [ + Comment here + ]