Prehypertension, or slightly elevated blood pressure, can increase the risk for stroke, researchers at the University of California-San Diego showed.
"The message for patients is that stroke is the fourth leading cause of death and a leading cause of disability in the United States, and if you do fall into [the prehypertensive] category you should take it very seriously and strongly consider a change in lifestyle to try and reduce your risk of stroke," study author Dr. Bruce Ovbiagele, a professor of neurosciences at UC-San Diego, told HealthDay.
Ovbiagele's team reviewed 12 previous studies involving half a million adults from the United States and Asia, and found that those with prehypertension--systolic blood pressure between 120 and 139 mmHg or diastolic blood pressure between 80 and 89 mmHg--were 55 percent more likely to suffer a stroke.
The data corrected for factors such as age, gender, cholesterol, diabetes, obesity, and smoking, and the increased stroke risk most affected those patients over 65, but it was attributable to other factors.
"Age is such a powerful factor putting people at risk of stroke that we think it overwhelms any added contribution from the slightly higher blood pressure," Ovbiagele said.
The study appeared in the Sept. 28 online edition and the Oct. 4 print issue of the journal Neurology.
