Romania ranks third in stroke mortality among countries reporting vascular statistics. Acute phase blood pressure has a major influence on stroke outcome. This review aims to give an overview of available data regarding the prevalence of extreme (both low and high) values of blood pressure in acute phase of stroke, impact of blood pressure on stroke prognosis, recommendations on the management of blood pressure, available national data, large ongoing internationl trials with possible impact on stroke guidelines.
The consensus of the EUSI panel is that “emergency administration of antihypertensive agents should be withheld unless the diastolic blood pressure is >120 mm Hg or unless the systolic blood pressure is >220 mm Hg. The panel remains concerned by the evidence that aggressive lowering of blood pressure among patients may cause neurological worsening, and the goal is to avoid overtreating patients with stroke until definitive data are available”.