Epidemiology, pathophysiology, and treatment of hypertension in ischaemic stroke patients

Abstract

Stroke continues to be one of the leading causes of mortality and morbidity worldwide. There are 2 main types of stroke: ischaemic strokes, which are caused by obstruction of the blood vessels leading to or within the brain, and haemorrhagic strokes, which are induced by the disruption of blood vessels. Stroke is a disease of multifactorial aetiology that may develop as an end state in patients with serious vascular conditions--most notably, uncontrolled arterial hypertension--thereby necessitating the effective control of this risk factor to prevent stroke or its recurrence. This paper focuses specifically on the epidemiology and pathogenesis of ischaemic stroke mainly in chronically hypertensive patients and pays particular attention to the efficacy of a select group of routinely used major antihypertensive drugs (i.e., angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, angiotensin II type 1 receptor blockers, and calcium channel blockers) in the treatment of strokes.

Keywords: Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors; angiotensin II type 1 receptor blockers; calcium channel blockers; hypertension; ischaemic stroke.