ABSTRACT
There is scarce evidence of the role of clinic and ambulatory BP indices, as well as blood pressure phenotypes in the prognosis of stroke survivors. We aimed to evaluate the association between ambulatory BP indices and mortality in patients with a previous stroke. Our study was an observational cohort study from individuals included in the Spanish Ambulatory Blood Pressure Registry from March 2004 to December 2014. The Cox model was used to estimate associations between usual clinic and ambulatory BP and mortality, adjusted for confounders and additionally for alternative measures of BP. Two thousand one hundred and eighty-three patients with a previous stroke were included. During a median of 9.2 years, 632 (28.9%) patients died: 236 (10.8%) from cardiovascular causes. In the confounder-adjusted model, clinic systolic BP was not associated with the risk of all-cause or cardiovascular mortality. In contrast, systolic BP indices obtained through ABPM (24 h, day and night) were all associated with all-cause and cardiovascular death. In the simultaneous adjustment of daytime and night-time systolic BP, only night-time systolic BP remained significantly associated with all-cause and cardiovascular death: HR 1.35 (95% CI 01.21-1.51) and 1.44 (1.20-1.72), respectively. For diastolic BP, only night-time BP was associated with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality: HR 1.32 (1.18-1.48) and 1.57 (1.31-1.88), respectively. According to the circadian pattern, a riser pattern was associated with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality: HR 1.49 (1.18-1.87) and 1.70 (1.14-2.52), respectively. In conclusion, in patients who have suffered a stroke, night-time BP is the BP estimate most closely associated with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality.
ABSTRACT
We aimed to evaluate brachial and central blood pressure (BP) estimates and biomarker levels in lacunar ischemic stroke (IS) and other IS subtypes (nonlacunar stroke). We studied 70 functionally independent subjects consecutively admitted to our institution after a first episode of IS. Subjects with previous heart failure were excluded. BP was measured at admission and during the subacute phase of stroke (5-7 days after stroke onset). Aortic pulse wave velocity (aPWV), augmentation index (AIx), and 24 h brachial and central BP (24h-ABPM) were measured by means of a Mobil-O-Graph device during the subacute phase of stroke. Determination of N-terminal prohormone of brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), urinary albumin excretion, and echocardiography were performed in all subjects. After adjusting for age and clinical severity, lacunar IS had significantly higher levels of BP at admission (systolic BP 173 ± 37 vs 153 ± 28 mmHg, p = 0.006; diastolic BP: 97 ± 21 vs 86 ± 16 mmHg, p = 0.035) and during the subacute phase of stroke (systolic BP 152 ± 23 vs 134 ± 19 mmHg, p = 0.001; diastolic BP: 84 ± 14 and 77 ± 10 mmHg, respectively; p = 0.038) but lower NT-proBNP levels (median: 36,277 vs 274 pg/mL, p = 0.009) than nonlacunar IS. Central BP, aPWV, and AIx were not different between lacunar and nonlacunar IS, neither the rate of target organ damage. In conclusion, patients with a first episode of lacunar IS have higher BP values at admission and during the subacute phase of stroke and lower levels of NT-proBNP, suggesting a closer relationship with hypertension of this IS subtype.
