Table 1. Clinical characteristics at randomisation, by intensive vs guideline blood pressure and lipid lowering.
| All | Intensive BP | Guideline BP | Intensive lipids | Guideline lipids | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | 83 | 41 | 42 | 39 | 38 |
| Age (years) † | 74.0 (6.8) | 73.0 (6.5) | 75.1 (6.9) | 74.2 (6.4) | 74.4 (6.9) |
| Sex, male (%) † | 64 (77.1) | 33 (80.5) | 31 (73.8) | 30 (76.9) | 31 (81.6) |
| Time to randomisation [months] † | 4.5 [1.3] | 4.6 [1.5] | 4.4 [1.0] | 4.4 [1.4] | 4.6 [1.3] |
| Medical history (%) | |||||
| Memory problem | 34 (44.2) | 16 (41.0) | 18 (47.4) | 10 (27.8) | 20 (57.1) |
| Hypertension, treated | 69 (83.1) | 36 (87.8) | 33 (78.6) | 32 (82.1) | 31 (81.6) |
| Hyperlipidaemia | 73 (88.0) | 34 (82.9) | 39 (92.9) | 36 (92.3) | 32 (84.2) |
| Diabetes mellitus | 17 (20.5) | 12 (29.3) | 5 (11.9) | 8 (20.5) | 8 (21.1) |
| Atrial fibrillation | 15 (18.1) | 8 (19.5) | 7 (16.7) | 10 (25.6) | 5 (13.2) |
| Stroke | 8 (9.6) | 3 (7.3) | 5 (11.9) | 3 (7.7) | 5 (13.2) |
| IHD | 20 (24.1) | 11 (26.8) | 9 (21.4) | 8 (20.5) | 11 (28.9) |
| PAD | 5 (6.0) | 1 (2.4) | 4 (9.5) | 4 (10.3) | 1 (2.6) |
| Smoking, ever (%) | 56 (67.5) | 31 (75.6) | 25 (59.5) | 24 (61.5) | 29 (76.3) |
| Alcohol [upw] | 3 [0,10] | 3 [0,10] | 3 [0,8] | 5 [1,14] | 2 [0,7] |
| Index stroke ‡ | |||||
| Ischaemic (%) | 77 (92.8) | 38 (92.7) | 39 (92.9) | 39 (100) | 38 (100) |
| Haemorrhagic (%) | 6 (7.2) | 3 (7.3) | 3 (7.1) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) |
| Side, right weakness (%) | 30 (47.6) | 15 (45.5) | 15 (50.0) | 19 (59.4) | 10 (35.7) |
| Dysphasia (%) † | 23 (27.7) | 12 (29.3) | 11 (26.2) | 9 (23.1) | 11 (28.9) |
| BP drugs, number † | |||||
| Mode | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Median | 2 [1,2] | 2 [1,2] | 2 [1,2] | 2 [1,2] | 2 [1,2] |
| Mean | 1.8 (0.9) | 1.7 (1.0) | 1.9 (0.8) | 1.8 (0.9) | 1.8 (0.9) |
| >0 (%) | 69 (92.0) | 35 (85.4) | 34 (100) | 31 (93.9) | 32 (88.9) |
| BP drug classes (%) | |||||
| ACE-I or ARB | 39 (52.0) | 20 (48.8) | 19 (55.9) | 19 (57.6) | 18 (50.0) |
| ß-receptor antagonist | 18 (24.0) | 8 (19.5) | 10 (29.4) | 10 (30.3) | 6 (16.7) |
| Calcium channel blocker | 39 (52.0) | 21 (51.2) | 18 (52.9) | 16 (48.5) | 20 (55.6) |
| Diuretic | 20 (26.7) | 7 (17.1) | 13 (38.2) | 10 (30.3) | 7 (19.4) |
| Other | 6 (8.0) | 2 (4.9) | 4 (11.8) | 4 (12.1) | 1 (2.8) |
| Lipid tablets (%) | |||||
| Any statin † | 79 (95.2) | 40 (97.6) | 39 (92.9) | 38 (97.4) | 37 (97.4) |
| Fluvastatin | 1 (1.3) | 0 (0) | 1 (2.6) | 1 (2.6) | 0 (0) |
| Simvastatin | 55 (69.6) | 25 (62.5) | 30 (76.9) | 27 (71.1) | 26 (70.3) |
| Atorvastatin | 21 (26.6) | 13 (32.5) | 8 (20.5) | 10 (26.3) | 9 (24.3) |
| Rosuvastatin | 2 (2.5) | 2 (5.0) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 2 (5.4) |
| Ezetimibe | 1 (1.2) | 0 (0) | 1 (2.4) | 1 (2.6) | 0 (0) |
| Pre-morbid mRS <2 (%) † | 60 (72.3) | 26 (63.4) | 34 (81.0) | 27 (69.2) | 28 (73.7) |
| ACE-R (/100) † | 86.1 (7.7) | 85.7 (8.1) | 86.5 (7.4) | 87.6 (7.7) | 84.5 (7.3) |
| NIHSS (/42) | 0.77 (1.1) | 0.80 (1.1) | 0.74 (1.1) | 0.59 (0.9) | 0.97 (1.3) |
| TACS (%) | 6 (7.2) | 3 (7.3) | 3 (7.1) | 4 (10.3) | 2 (5.3) |
| Systolic BP (mmHg) † | 147.1 (18.6) | 145.9 (19.8) | 148.3 (17.5) | 147.6 (20.6) | 147.9 (16.7) |
| <140 (%) | 32 (38.6) | 16 (39.0) | 16 (38.1) | 16 (41.0) | 14 (36.8) |
| <125 (%) | 9 (10.8) | 6 (14.6) | 3 (7.1) | 5 (12.8) | 3 (7.9) |
| Diastolic BP (mmHg) | 82.1 (11.1) | 82.5 (11.7) | 81.7 (10.7) | 83.3 (11.9) | 81.2 (10.2) |
| Heart rate (bpm) | 71.5 (14.2) | 71.7 (14.9) | 71.3 (13.8) | 72.9 (16.4) | 70.4 (11.5) |
| Lipids (mmol/l) | |||||
| Total cholesterol † | 4.0 (0.8) | 3.9 (0.7) | 4.1 (1.0) | 4.0 (0.6) | 4.0 (1.0) |
| Triglycerides | 1.3 (0.6) | 1.3 (0.6) | 1.3 (0.6) | 1.4 (0.7) | 1.3 (0.6) |
| HDL-cholesterol | 1.4 (0.5) | 1.3 (0.4) | 1.5 (0.6) | 1.4 (0.4) | 1.5 (0.6) |
| LDL-cholesterol | 2.0 (0.7) | 2.0 (0.5) | 2.0 (0.8) | 2.0 (0.5) | 2.0 (0.8) |
| Non-HDL-cholesterol | 2.6 (0.8) | 2.6 (0.7) | 2.6 (0.9) | 2.6 (0.6) | 2.5 (1.0) |
Data are number (%), median [interquartile range] or mean (standard deviation).
† Minimisation variable–from June 2013 limited to age, ACE-R, systolic blood pressure and total cholesterol.
‡ Stratification variable;
¶ Protocol violation
Non-HDL-cholesterol = total cholesterol–HDL-cholesterol. ACE-R: Addenbrooke’s Cognitive Examination-revised; BP: blood pressure; bpm: beats per minute; HDL: high density lipoprotein; IHD: ischaemic heart disease; LDL: low density lipoprotein; mRS: modified Rankin Scale; NIHSS: National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale; PAD: peripheral arterial disease; IHD: current angina or previous angina or myocardial infarction; TACS: Total anterior circulation syndrome.