The role of blood pressure management in stroke prevention: current status and future prospects

Stroke is the second-leading cause of death worldwide and the second-leading cause of disability-adjusted life-years. It is well known that hypertension is a significant risk factor for cardiovascular events, including stroke.

Recent interventional trials have demonstrated the superiority of intensive blood pressure (BP) control for prevention of cardiovascular events compared to standard BP control. Notably, in the Strategy of Blood Pressure Intervention in Elderly Hypertensive Patients (STEP) trial, intensive BP control showed superiority in the prevention of stroke events in elderly hypertensive patients. Novel medications such as angiotensin receptor-neprilysin inhibitors and sodium glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors have the potential to suppress various CVD events including stroke. Non-pharmacological antihypertensive therapies such as renal denervation have demonstrated BP-lowering effects and may be useful for stroke prevention. Additionally, new methods and systems of BP monitoring including various kinds of nighttime BP measurement devices, wearable devices, and methods using information and communication technology can be used to assess the pathophysiology of BP variability as a risk factor and an event trigger of stroke incidence.

Novel therapies and new technologies for BP evaluation strongly support the development of individualized anticipatory medicine, which should be useful for the prevention of stroke.