Open AccessBlood pressure differences between patients with lacunar and nonlacunar infarcts
Author(s) -
Altmann Marianne,
Thommessen Bente,
Rønning Ole Morten,
Reichenbach Antje S.,
Fure Brynjar
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
brain and behavior
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.915
H-Index - 41
ISSN - 2162-3279
DOI - 10.1002/brb3.353
Subject(s) - medicine , blood pressure , stroke (engine) , cardiology , risk factor , lacunar stroke , lacunar infarction , surgery , infarction , myocardial infarction , ischemic stroke , ischemia , mechanical engineering , engineering
Background Elevated blood pressure is frequently seen in acute stroke, and patients with lacunar and nonlacunar infarcts may have different underlying mechanisms for increase in blood pressure. The impact of hypertension as a risk factor may also vary. The aims of the present study were to investigate blood pressure in patients presenting with lacunar syndromes but with different anatomical subtypes of stroke, to explore the impact of subtype on blood pressure, and to identify stroke‐related factors associated with hypertension. Methods Consecutive patients presenting with an acute lacunar syndrome were enrolled. Patients were classified into a lacunar or nonlacunar group based on radiological verified infarcts. Blood pressure was measured. Between‐group differences were analyzed by χ 2 ‐test, t ‐test, and Mann–Whitney U test, as appropriate. We performed linear regression to analyze the association between blood pressure and lacunar infarct, and multiple linear regression to adjust for other covariates. Results One hundred thirteen patients were included. Seventy five percent had lacunar and 25% nonlacunar infarcts. There was no significant difference in clinical severity between the two groups. In the linear regression model, we found a significant association between blood pressure and lacunar infarct. No other factor was significantly associated with blood pressure in the two groups. Conclusions Lacunar infarcts may be independently associated with higher blood pressure compared to nonlacunar infarcts with the same clinical severity. Blood pressure differences between different subtypes of stroke may not be related to clinical severity but to the underlying cause of stroke.