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Elevated blood pressure (BP) in the acute period after stroke has been linked consistently with poor functional prognosis and greater risk for stroke recurrence. Although some preclinical and clinical research suggests that angiotensin-receptor blocker (ARB) treatment early in the acute stroke process may provide neuroprotective benefit beyond that of long-term BP lowering, reliable evidence is lacking.
In this randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, partially manufacturer-funded trial, investigators evaluated whether careful BP lowering with the ARB candesartan would be beneficial in 2004 adults who presented within 30 hours of symptom onset with acute ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke and high BP (systolic BP ≥140 mm Hg). For 7 days, pa…