Table 1. Summary of included studies.
| Study | Year | Country of origin | No. of patients | Male (%) (I; C) | Mean age (years) (I; C) | Stroke type | Inclusion of onset (hours) | Mean admission time (hours) (I; C) | Agent class | Intervention period (days) | Duration of follow-up (months) | Study scale | Outcome |
| ACCESS[14] | 2003 | Multicentre in Germany | 339 | 51(50;52) | 68;68 | IS | 36 | 29.9;29.7 | ARB | 7 | 12 | BI | Death, stroke recurrence, MI |
| Bath et al [30] | 2001 | Single centre in UK | 37 | 49(38;57) | 76;72 | IS+HS | 120 | 105.6;93.6 | GTN | 12 | 3 | RS | Death, dependency |
| BEST[29] | 1988 | Single centre in UK | 302 | 54;49 | 70;69 | IS+HS | 48 | 23.4;25.3 | BRB | 21 | 6 | Ordinal scale | Death, SAE |
| CATIS[24] | 2013 | Multicentre in China | 4071 | 64(65;63) | 62;62 | IS | 48 | 15.3;14.9 | All kinds | 7 | 3 | NIHSS,mRS | Death, dependency |
| CHHIPS[16] | 2009 | Multicentre in UK | 179 | 55(57;53) | 74;74 | IS+HS | 36 | 19.8;17.4 | ACEI/BRB | 14 | 3 | NIHSS, mRS | Neurological worsening, death, dependency |
| COSSACS[21] | 2010 | Multicentre in UK | 763 | 56(55;56) | 74;74 | IS+HS | 48 | 23.6;23.4 | All kinds | 14 | 6 | NIHSS, mRS, BI | Death, dependency, stroke recurrence, MI |
| Eveson et al [26] | 2007 | Single centre in UK | 40 | 63(44;77) | 73;75 | IS | 24 | 18.0;20.0 | ACEI | 14 | 3 | NIHSS, mRS, BI | Death, dependency |
| Hsu et al [28] | 1987 | Multicentre in USA | 80 | 61(58;65) | 63;65 | IS | 24 | 15.3;17.4 | PGI2 | 3 | 1 | Neurologic Grading Scale | Neurological worsening, death |
| INTERACT[15] | 2008 | Multicenter from Australia, China and South Korea | 404 | 65(61;69) | 63;62 | HS | 6 | 3.6;3.7 | All kinds | 7 | 3 | NIHSS, GCS, mRS | Neurological worsening, death, dependency, stroke recurrence |
| INTERACT2[23] | 2013 | Multicentre from Australia, China and South Korea | 2839 | 63(64;62) | 63;64 | HS | 6 | 3.7;3.7 | All kinds | 7 | 3 | NIHSS, mRS | Death, dependency, SAE |
| INWEST[11] | 2000 | Multicentre from Sweden | 295 | 45 | 72 | IS | 24 | / | CCB (iv.) | 21 | 6 | BI | Death, dependency |
| Kaste et al [27] | 1994 | Multicentre in Finland | 350 | 67(69;65) | 57;58 | IS | 48 | / | CCB (po.) | 21 | 12 | Sum score, RS | Death, dependency |
| Nakamura et al [25] | 2010 | Single centre in Japan | 40 | 83(81;85) | 62;81 | IS | 72 | 45;41 | ARB/ACEI | 14 | 0.5 | NIHSS, mRS | Neurological worsening, death, stroke recurrence, MI, SAE |
| PRoFESS[20] | 2009 | Multicentre in 35 countries | 1360 | 65(65;65) | 67;67 | IS | 72 | 57.6;57.6 | ARB | 90 | 3 | NIHSS, mRS | Death, dependency, stroke recurrence, MI, SAE |
| Rashid et al [17] | 2003 | Single centre in UK | 90 | 46(47;43) | 71;74 | IS+HS | 72 | 51.0;49.5 | GTN | 10 | 3 | SNSS, mRS, BI | Neurological worsening, death, dependency |
| SCAST[22] | 2011 | Multicentre in 9 north European countries | 2029 | 58(60;56) | 71;71 | IS+HS | 30 | 17.6;17.9 | ARB | 7 | 6 | SSS, mRS, BI | Death, dependency, stroke recurrence, MI |
| Willmot et al [31] | 2006 | Single centre in UK | 18 | 28(17;50) | 69;70 | IS+HS | 120 | 79;77 | GTN | 7 | 3 | SSS, mRS | Death |
I: intervention; C: control. ACEI, angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors; ARB, angiotensin receptor blockers; BRA, beta receptor antagonists; CCB, calcium channel blockers; GTN, glyceryl trinitrate. BI, Barthel Index; GCS, Glasgow Coma Scale; NIHSS, NIH Stroke Scale; RS, Rankin Scale; SSS, Scandinavian Stroke Scale.