Stroke and Hypertension in High-Risk African Americans

Abstract

Stroke is primarily an "end-organ" outcome of atherosclerotic and hypertensive diseases and embolic disease usually arising from the heart or aorta. The most common type of stroke is ischemic stroke, the result of cerebral vessel occlusion from the accumulation of arteriosclerotic plaque or thrombi that develop in remote blood vessels and migrate to the smaller cerebral arteries, resulting in the death of brain tissue. The less common type of stroke is hemorrhagic, due to bleeding from a ruptured vessel within the brain [parenchymal or intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH)] or around the brain [subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH).] It is estimated that 87 % of all strokes are ischemic, 10 % ICH, and 3 % SAH [ 1 ] with ischemic stroke having an overall lower risk of fatality than either ICH or SAH [ 2 ]. In 2010, stroke was the fourth leading cause of death in the United States (USA), followed by diseases of the heart, cancer, and chronic lower respiratory diseases [ 1 ]. Moreover, it is estimated that 6.8