Greater short-term variability in systolic blood pressure after intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is associated with an increased risk for long-term disability, new research suggests.
A pooled analysis of randomized controlled trials indicated that each 10 mmHg increase in standard deviation of systolic blood pressure variability was associated with an 18% increase in the likelihood of functional impairment at 90 days. The association was stronger among patients undergoing intensive blood pressure-lowering treatments.
"Our findings provide support for careful, sustained blood pressure lowering early after acute ICH, especially in patients who receive early intensive blood pressure lowering according to the new European Stroke Organisation guidelines and several other international guidelines," study author Tom Moullaali, PhD, honorary clinical senior lecturer at the University of Edinburgh in the United Kingdom, told Medscape Medical News.
The findings were presented at the European Stroke Organization Conference (ESOC) 2021, which was held online.
Meta-analysis of BASC Trials
ICH carries a high risk for mortality, and most patients who survive develop lasting disability, the investigators note.
In a previous systematic review and meta-analysisthe researchers found an association between higher systolic blood pressure variability and poor functional outcome after acute ICH. Every 10mmHg increase in the standard deviation (SD) of systolic blood pressure was associated with an approximately 40% increase in the odds of poor function at 90 days.
