Blood pressure variability in acute cerebral infraction and hemorrhage

This study included 115 patients with acute cerebrovascular stroke [63 patients with thromboembolic infraction, 28 patients with lacunar infarction and 24 patients with intracerebral hemorrhage] as well as 49 age and sex matched patients with other than acute cerebrovascular stroke were taken as a control group. There was a significant transient elevation of both mean systolic [SBP] and diastolic blood pressure [DBF] in the first day of admission in the various subtypes of stroke patients compared with the seventh day. The initial elevation of blood pressure was not due to stress of hospitalization because it was not present in the control group. There was a significant positive correlation between the elevation of systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure in the first day in both thromboembolic and lacunar subtype. It was concluded that there was a spontaneous decline in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure after acute stroke; so, the use of antihypertensive drugs must be carefully judged in those patients