Abstract
Background
Stroke is a significant medical condition, and blood pressure stands out as the most prevalent treatable risk factor associated with it. Researches link blood pressure variability (BPV) with stroke; however, the specific relationship between with the outcomes of stroke patients remains unclear. As blood pressure variability and mean blood pressure are interrelated, it remains uncertain whether BPV adds additional information to understanding the outcome of acute stroke patients.
Objective
To systematically review studies investigating the association between blood pressure variability and prognosis in acute stroke patients.
Methods
Embase, PubMed, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library were searched for English language full-text articles from the inception to 1 January 2023. Stroke patients aged ≥ 18 years were included in this analysis. Stroke types were not restricted.
Results
This meta-analysis shows that higher systolic blood pressure variability is linked to a higher risk of poor outcome, including function disability, mortality, early neurological deterioration, and stroke recurrence, among acute stroke patients without thrombolysis. A higher diastolic blood pressure variability is linked with to a higher risk of mortality and functional disability.
Conclusions
This review reveals that blood pressure variability is a novel and clinically relevant risk factor for stroke patients’ outcome. Future studies should investigate how best to measure and define BPV in acute stroke. Larger studies are warranted to provide more robust evidence in this area.
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Data availability
The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, Yuxia Ma, upon reasonable request.
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Chen, Y., Ma, Y., Qin, J. et al. Blood pressure variability predicts poor outcomes in acute stroke patients without thrombolysis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Neurol 271, 1160–1169 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00415-023-12054-w
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00415-023-12054-w