Continuous recording of blood pressure in cerebrovascular disease: when should it be done?
OBJECTIVE
Ambulatory blood pressure (BP) monitoring has found some specific clinical indications in the treatment and control of hypertension (HT). As with other target organs exposed to vascular damage dependent on HT, ambulatory BP monitoring can be a useful tool in the prevention of cerebrovascular processes.


METHODS
Review of published articles (Medline database) which have investigated the value of continuous recording of BP in cerebrovascular disease (CVD).


RESULTS
Research on the BP patterns and its relationship with stroke has been carried out in subjects with no previous history of CVD (cohort studies and in patients with essential HT, differentiating between adults and elderly patients) and patients after a cerebral ischemic event. The study objectives are aimed at determining its prognostic value in the development of silent and symptomatic CVD, and its prognostic significance regarding functional recovery and the differences of the BP patterns according to the different stroke subtypes.


CONCLUSIONS
BP monitoring is a useful technique with applications in the control and treatment of the pathological variations of BP in hypertensive patients, with and without a previous history of cerebral ischemia, and mainly in elderly patients, due to the deterioration of the cerebral circulation regulation mechanisms. Clinical research has confirmed the importance of factors related to the circadian rhythm of BP in the primary and secondary prevention of cerebrovascular processes.
Tejada
Javier
J
Section of Neurology, Department of Internal Medicine, Hospital de León, León, Spain. jtejada@hleo.insalud.es
Hernández-Echebarría
Luís
L
Ballesteros
Beatriz
B
D018660:Blood Pressure Monitoring, Ambulatory; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000175:diagnosis*; D020521:Stroke / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000517:prevention & control