What is the risk of stroke with prehypertension and mild hypertension?
Prehypertensive patients randomized to active antihypertensive treatment had a consistent and statistically significant 22% reduction in the risk of stroke compared with those taking placebo. Antihypertensive drug treatment reduced the risk of stroke by 32% (95% CI, 24 39; P=0.004) compared with no drug treatment. The use of antihypertensive therapies among those with mild hypertension (SBP, 140 to 159 mmHg; DBP, 90 to 99 mmHg; or both), however, was not clearly shown to reduce the risk of first stroke in a Cochrane Database Systematic Review, although a trend of clinically important magnitude was present (RR, 0.51; 95% CI, 0.24 1.08).