Originally published September 22 2005
Stroke victims can reduce brain damage risk by lowering blood pressure, study suggests
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
A new study suggests patients who lower their blood pressure in the years following a stroke or mini-stroke, called a transient ischemic attack, have a reduced risk of developing cell death and tissue injury that can cause serious brain damage.
Lowering blood pressure in the years after a stroke reduces the death of brain cells that can cause loss of mental function, a new study finds.
Using MRI to get detailed pictures of the brain, French researchers report that people who got a drug to lower pressure after a stroke or a mini-stroke had significantly fewer "white matter hyperintensities" -- abnormalities that indicate tissue damage.
The findings appear in the Sept. 7 issue of the journal Circulation.
Roughly half were given perindopril, an ACE-inhibitor drug to lower blood pressure, while the other half received a placebo, an inactive substance.
The researchers report that the volume of new white matter spots in the brains of people who got the drug was just one-fifth that of people who got the placebo -- 0.4 cubic millimeters versus 2 cubic millimeters.
But the study's potential power to influence medical practice may be limited because of the small number of participants, Tzourio said.
The basic principle -- that lowering high blood pressure is beneficial -- still applies, he said, especially for people who have mini-strokes, formally called transient ischemic attacks (TIA).
Daniel Lackland, a professor of epidemiology at the Medical University of South Carolina and a spokesman for the American Stroke Association, agreed heartily.
"We've known for some time that lowering blood pressure successfully reduces the risk of dementia.
The study also opens up a new area of research, he said, such as studies to determine whether lowering blood pressure can reduce the incidence of Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia.
But the other advantages of keeping blood pressure under control -- notably a reduction in heart disease and stroke -- show that "you should get your blood pressure as low as possible," Lackland said.
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