English summary: RISK OF STROKE IN PRIMARY CARE PATIENTS USING ANTIHYPERTENSIVE THERAPY

Stroke prevention is an important goal in the treatment of hypertension. We investigated blood pressure and stroke risk in 2,144 hypertensive patients with antihypertensive medication in primary care in Finland. Stroke risk over 10 forthcoming years was assessed according to the Framingham risk score. Median blood pressure was 146/86 mmHg and only 32% of the patients had their systolic blood pressure below the current goal of 140 mmHg. Accordingly, stroke risk was relatively high, 23% or over, in one fourth of the patients. Most patients used one to two antihypertensive drugs; the most common single drug was a beta-blocker. We conclude that stroke risk is substantial and blood pressure level suboptimal in many patients with antihypertensive medication. Selection of drugs should be reconsidered and low-dose diuretic often added to drug combinations in order to improve stroke prevention in patients with hypertension.