Please select the eligibility criteria that correspond to the clinical trial below.
Title: Phase IV Study for Effect of Intensive Blood-Pressure Control Using Anti-hypertensive Agents in Essential Hypertension With History of Stroke
Brief Summary: 1. Objectives and Hypothesis

   1. Objectives:

      This study evaluates whether strict BP management is useful for the prevention of recurrent stroke.

      Hypertensive patients with history of stroke are treated with stepwise multi-drug therapy to achieve stricter BP target \<120/80 mmHg in the strict BP control group and less stricter BP target \<140/90 mmHg or \<130/80 mmHg for patients with current DM/CKD/MI in the standard BP control group. The participants under the BP treatment achieving their respective BP target will be followed for recurrence of stroke. The study continues until the number of patients with the first recurrent stroke reaches a total of 330 between the two groups. The occurrence rates of recurrent stroke will be compared between the two groups.
   2. Hypotheses The incidence of recurrent stroke will be lower in a strict BP control group having lower BP target: \<120/80 mmHg\* than in a standard BP control group having BP target \<140/90 mmHg or \<130/80 mmHg for current DM/CKD/MI in patients with hypertension.
2. Study design This will be a multicenter, randomized, open-label study. The study consists of a screening period, a titration period and a follow-up period. The screening period is a period between the date of consent and the enrollment date. Hypertensive patients with history of stroke are randomly assigned to either the strict BP control group having the target of \<120/80 mmHg or the standard BP control group having the target of \<140/90 mmHg without current DM, CKD or MI and \<130/80 mmHg with current DM, CKD or MI. The titration period is the period finding a treatment which achieves target BP, and 24 weeks at maximum. Patients will be treated with stepwise multi-drug therapy using an angiotensin-receptor antagonist, diuretic, calcium channel blocker and aldosterone antagonist. The participants will be observed under the BP management for their respective BP target. The study will be continued until the number of patients with the first recurrent stroke reaches a total of 330 between two groups. The follow-up period will be 3 years.

The recurrent rates of stroke in both groups will be compared from various aspects, and strict BP management will be investigated on the usefulness in prevention of recurrent stroke.


Options:
A: Inclusion Criteria:

Participants include those with essential hypertension and history of stroke who satisfy the following criteria:

* Outpatient
* Onset of stroke(cerebral infarction/cerebral hemorrhage) occurred between 30 days and 3 years prior to the date of consent.
* Drug adherence is ≧80% during the screening period.
* Mean of 2 baseline BP measurements(measured at outpatient clinic) within 30 days prior to the date of consent is either 180 \>SBP ≧130 mmHg or 110 \>DBP ≧80 mmHg (untreated -3 anti hypertensive agents patients).
* Cerebral infarction with severity 3 or less in the modified Rankin scale.

Exclusion Criteria:

Patient who meets any one of the following criteria is excluded from the study.

* Women who are pregnant, are possible pregnant, or are breastfeeding
* Possible secondary hypertension
* Severe hypertension (grade III or greater) with baseline SBP ≧180 mmHg or DBP ≧110 mmHg)
* Myocardial infarction or undergoing angioplasty occurred within 3 months prior to the screening.
* Current or previous heart failure with NYHA classification class III or more, or EF less than 35%
* Severe bilateral carotid stenosis or major cerebral artery occlusion
* Severe paralysis due to stroke (modified Rankin scale ≧ 4 )
* Current renal dysfunction (serum Cr ≧ 2.0 mg/dL right before the date of consent)
* Current hepatic dysfunction with AST or ALT value ≧ 100 IU/mL right before the date of consent
* Refractory hypertension treated with four or more antihypertensive drugs
* Hypersensitivity or allergy to losartan and other angiotensin II receptor blockers, hydrochlorothiazide, amlodipine or sulfonamide derivative
* Major surgery planned during the study period
* Participants of other clinical studies within the last 30 days
* Current malignancy (previous malignancy within 5 years after the end of treatment) excluding squamous-cell skin cancer
* Previous and current subarachnoid hemorrhage
* Definitive dementia 12) (based on a clinical diagnosis)
* Patients who have difficulty in signing consent or who do not agree to the provided consent
* Patients who are judged to be unsuitable for participating the study by the primary investigator or sub-investigator.
B: Inclusion Criteria:

* Male or female
* Age 50 to no upper limit
* Hypertension documented according to the 6th report of the Joint National Committee on Detection and Evaluation of the treatment of high BP (JNC VI) and the need for drug therapy (previously documented hypertension in patients currently taking antihypertensive agents is acceptable)
* Documented CAD (e.g., classic angina pectoris (stable angina pectoris; Heberden angina pectoris), myocardial infarction three or more months ago, abnormal coronary angiography, or concordant abnormalities on two different types of stress tests)
* Willingness to sign informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

* Unstable angina, angioplasty, coronary artery bypass graft surgery (CABG) or stroke within one month. Patients taking beta blockers after myocardial infarction are excluded if study enrollment is planned within 12 months of myocardial infarction. No time limitation if not taking beta-blocker.
* Use of a ß-blocker within past two weeks
* Patients without a pacemaker and any of the following:

  * Sinus bradycardia (\< 50 beats/min.)
  * Sick sinus syndrome
  * Atrioventricular (AV)-block of more than 1st degree
* Documented contraindication to verapamil; documented contraindication to both atenolol and hydrochlorothiazide
* Atrial fibrillation/flutter with Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW)-Syndrome
* Severe heart failure (New York Heart Association \[NYHA\] IV).
* Concomitant illnesses (e.g., severe renal failure \[Serum creatinine ≥4.0 mg/dl\], severe hepatic failure or known cirrhosis, etc.) which may affect outcome variables or where life expectancy is two years or less or which are likely to require frequent hospitalizations and/or treatment adjustments.
* Patients with psychiatric, cognitive, or social (e.g., alcoholism, etc.) conditions that would interfere with giving consent or cooperating or remaining available for follow-up for two years.
C: Inclusion Criteria:

* Qualifying event: stroke or TIA 1 to 6 months previous to randomization.
* All patients should have a CT scan or MRI (preferably MRI) at screening. The CT scan or MRI carried out at the time of the qualifying event, if available, is acceptable. Stroke will be defined as imaging evidence of a recent brain infarction (or haemorrhage) independently of duration of clinical symptoms, or as duration of clinical symptoms \> 24 h even in absence of imaging evidence of lesion
* TIA as clinical symptoms (involving limbs or speech) lasting \< 24 h without imaging evidence of infarction. Enrolling units should avoid enrolling patients with TIA in a proportion greater than 25% of enrolled patients. The general coordinators in Milan and Beijing may decide stopping enrolment of TIA patients if their proportion is becoming greater than expected.
* A haemorrhagic stroke (1 to 6 months previously) is also a qualifying event, but only for the BP-lowering component of the trial (see Exclusion criteria).
* Age: 65 years and above. No fixed upper age limit is introduced, but frail patients aged above 80 years should not be enrolled.
* Gender: either gender.
* BP: Only hypertensive patients: untreated patients with SBP ≥140 mmHg; patients on antihypertensive treatment with any BP (but see exclusion criteria)
* LDL-C: Patients without statin treatment with LDL-C \> 2.8 mmol/l; patients on statin treatment with any LDL-C value (but see exclusion criteria)
* Antiplatelet therapy: All patients should be under antiplatelet therapy (agents and doses chosen by the investigator according to accepted guidelines), unless contraindicated. Anticoagulant (instead of antiplatelet) therapy whenever indicated (e.g. atrial fibrillation).

Exclusion Criteria:

* Qualifying event:

  1. Patients in unstable clinical conditions
  2. Clinical disturbances caused by non-stroke pathology
  3. patients with haemodynamically significant carotid stenosis or requiring carotid revascularization
  4. haemorrhagic stroke is an exclusion criterion for the lipid lowering component of the trial; however, these patients should be randomized to the BP component, but considered in addition to the number of patients requested to each enrolling unit, in order not to decrease the power of the lipid-lowering component.
* BP: - known secondary hypertension;
* SBP \>140 mmHg under three antihypertensive drugs at full doses (these patients are unlikely to achieve SBP \< 125 mmHg, if so randomized);
* orthostatic hypotension (SBP fall \> 25 mmHg on standing);
* LDL-C: - LDL-C \>2.8 mmol/l under full dose of a statin (these patients are unlikely to achieve LDL-C targets).
* LDL-C \> 4.5 mmol/l under low dose of a statin or untreated (these patients are unlikely to achieve the lower LDL-C target).
* Others: - Patients with a myocardial infarction (preceding or subsequent to the qualifying stroke or TIA) if their baseline LDL-C is \< 1.8 mmol/l
* Dementia
* Severe disability (modified Rankin scale \> 4)
* Severe chronic renal failure defined as serum creatinine \> 250 micromol/l
* Hepatic disease as determined by either AST or ALT values \> 2 times the upper limit of normal
* History of hepatic encephalopathy, esophageal varices or portocaval shunt
* History of gastrointestinal surgery or disorders which could interfere with drug absorption
* Known allergy or contraindications to one of the drugs to be administered in the study
* History of malignancy including leukaemia and lymphoma (but not basal cell skin cancer) within the last 5 years
* History of clinically significant autoimmune disorders such as systemic lupus erythematosus
* History of drug or alcohol abuse within the last 5 years
* History of non-compliance to medical regimens and/or patients who are considered potentially unreliable
* Inability or unwillingness to give free informed consent
D: Inclusion Criteria:

* Diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus, as determined by the new American Diabetes Association guidelines, which include a fasting plasma glucose level greater than 126 mg/dl (7.0 mmol/l), or a 2-hour postload value in the oral glucose tolerance test of greater than 200 mg/dl, with confirmation by a retest
* For participants aged 40 years or older, history of CVD (heart attack, stroke, history of coronary revascularization, history of peripheral or carotid revascularization, or demonstrated angina)
* For participants aged 55 years or older, a history of CVD is not required, but participant must be considered to be at high risk for experiencing a CVD event due to existing CVD, subclinical disease, or 2+ CVD risk factors
* HbA1c 7.5%-9% (if on more drugs) or 7.5%-11% (if on fewer drugs)

Answer: A