Systolic hypertension and stroke

NEW YORK, 26 July (Praxis Press) The Systolic Hypertension in the Elderly Program (SHEP) revealed that treatment of isolated systolic hypertension decreases the incidence of both fatal and nonfatal strokes. Perry and colleagues, in an extension of SHEP, studied the effects of antihypertensive treatment on the incidence of specific types of stroke. Treatment decreased the incidence of hemorrhagic stroke within one year and the incidence of ischemic stroke within two years. Within the ischemic stroke category, treatment decreased the incidence of lacunar strokes. Treatment of isolated systolic hypertension decreases the incidence of multiple kinds of stroke.