TABLE 1.
Baseline characteristics according to change in blood pressure groups
| All | >15% Decrease (large) | 5–15% Decrease (moderate) | −5–5% Change (reference) | >5% Increase (increase) | P | |
| N | 3851 | 593 | 1121 | 1412 | 725 | |
| Sex, female (%) | 272 (45.9) | 477 (42.6) | 573 (40.6) | 327 (45.1) | 0.081 | |
| Age (years) | 71.0 ± 11.7 | 69.9 ± 11.8 | 70.4 ± 12.0 | 70.7 ± 13.1 | 0.26 | |
| Premorbid mRS > 0 (%) | 164 (27.7) | 286 (25.2) | 344 (24.4) | 205 (28.3) | 0.17 | |
| Time to randomization (h) | 26.7 ± 13.2 | 25.3 ± 13.0 | 26.3 ± 12.8 | 25.6 ± 12.3 | 0.18 | |
| Medical history (%) | ||||||
| Hypertension | 387 (65.3) | 728 (64.9) | 908 (64.3) | 483 (66.6) | 0.77 | |
| Treated hypertension | 333 (56.2) | 586 (52.3) | 745 (52.8) | 395 (54.5) | 0.40 | |
| Previous stroke | 107 (18.0) | 166 (14.8) | 191 (13.5) | 110 (15.2) | 0.080 | |
| Previous TIA | ||||||
| Ischaemic heart disease | 113 (19.1) | 197 (17.6) | 237 (16.8) | 106 (14.6) | 0.37 | |
| Peripheral artery disease | ||||||
| AF, current or previous | 108 (18.2) | 212 (18.9) | 269 (19.1) | 146 (20.1) | 0.84 | |
| Diabetes mellitus | 109 (18.4) | 190 (16.9) | 241 (17.1) | 129 (17.8) | 0.86 | |
| Nitrate use before stroke | 26 (4.4) | 42 (3.7) | 32 (4.4) | 48 (3.4) | 0.60 | |
| Haemodynamics | ||||||
| SBP (mmHg) | 173.8 ± 19.2 | 169.7 ± 18.8 | 166.0 ± 18.3 | 160.3 ± 17.5 | <0.0001 | |
| DBP (mmHg) | 92.7 ± 13.3 | 90.5 ± 12.3 | 88.9 ± 13.3 | 86.2 ± 13.0 | <0.0001 | |
| Heart rate (bpm) | 77.5 ± 15.4 | 77.6 ± 14.7 | 77.4 ± 14.6 | 77.4 ± 14.3 | 0.99 | |
| Qualifying event (%) | ||||||
| Ischaemic stroke | 502 (84.7) | 958 (85.5) | 1155 (81.8) | 602 (83.2) | 0.030 | |
| Haemorrhagic | 84 (14.2) | 147 (13.1) | 247 (17.5) | 116 (16) | ||
| Other | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 (0.1) | ||
| Unknown | 7 (1.2) | 16 (1.4) | 10 (0.7) | 5 (0.7) | ||
| OCSP classification (%) | ||||||
| Total anterior | 168 (28.3) | 313 (27.9) | 423 (30.0) | 261 (36.0) | 0.030 | |
| Partial anterior | 188 (31.7) | 347 (31.0) | 447 (31.7) | 219 (30.2) | ||
| Lacunar | 212 (35.8) | 417 (37.2) | 494 (35.0) | 219 (30.2) | ||
| Posterior | 25 (4.2) | 44 (3.9) | 26 (3.6) | 48 (3.4) | ||
| SSS score (/58) | 38 (26–46) | 37 (26–45) | 36 (24–44) | 33 (20–42) | <0.0001 | |
| Thrombolytic treatment (%) | 67 (11.3) | 128 (11.4) | 142 (10.8) | 79 (10.9) | 0.89 | |
| GTN treatment (%) | 397 (66.9) | 607 (54.1) | 641 (45.4) | 269 (37.1) | <0.0001 | |
Data are n (%), median (IQR) or mean (SD). P values are based on Chi-squared or Wilcoxon test. SSS scores range from 0 (coma with quadriplegia) to 58 (normal, no neurological deficit). AF, atrial fibrillation; GTN, glyceryl trinitrate; IQR, interquartile range; mRS, modified Rankin scale; OCSP, Oxfordshire Community Stroke Project; SSS, Scandinavian Stroke Scale; TIA, transient ischaemic attack.