Stroke; a journal of cerebral circulation
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Increased risk of stroke after a herpes zoster attack: a population-based follow-up study.
Varicella zoster virus-induced vasculopathy and postherpes zoster attack stroke syndromes have been reported previously; nevertheless, data regarding the exact prevalence and risk of stroke occurring postherpes zoster attack are still lacking. This study aims to investigate the frequency and risk of stroke after a herpes zoster attack using a nationwide, population-based study of a retrospective cohort design. Method- A total of 7760 patients who had received treatment for herpes zoster between 1997 and 2001 were included and matched with 23 280 randomly selected subjects. A 1-year stroke-free survival rate was then estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. After adjusting for potential confounders, Cox proportional hazard regressions were carried out to compute the adjusted 1-year survival rate. ⋯ The risk for stroke increased after a zoster attack. Although varicella zoster virus vasculopathy is a well-documented complication that may induce a stroke postherpes zoster attack, it does not fully account for the unexpectedly high risk of stroke in these patients.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Effect of telmisartan on functional outcome, recurrence, and blood pressure in patients with acute mild ischemic stroke: a PRoFESS subgroup analysis.
High blood pressure (BP) is common in acute ischemic stroke and associated independently with a poor functional outcome. However, the management of BP acutely remains unclear because no large trials have been completed. ⋯ Treatment with telmisartan in 1360 patients with acute mild ischemic stroke and mildly elevated BP appeared to be safe with no excess in adverse events, was not associated with a significant effect on functional dependency, death, or recurrence, and modestly lowered BP.