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:

* 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.
B: Inclusion Criteria:

* At least 50 years old

Systolic blood pressure of

* 130 - 180 mm Hg on 0 or 1 medication
* 130 - 170 mm Hg on up to 2 medications
* 130 - 160 mm Hg on up to 3 medications
* 130 - 150 mm Hg on up to 4 medications

Risk (one or more of the following)

1. Presence of clinical or subclinical cardiovascular disease other than stroke
2. CKD, defined as eGFR 20 - 59 ml/min/1.73m2
3. A Framingham Risk Score for 10-year CVD risk ≥ 15%
4. Age greater than 75 years

Exclusion Criteria:

* An indication for a specific BP lowering medication that the person is not taking and the person has not been documented to be intolerant of the medication class.
* Known secondary cause of hypertension that causes concern regarding safety of the protocol.
* One minute standing SBP \< 110 mm Hg.
* Proteinuria in the following ranges (based on a measurement within the past 6 months)

  * 24 hour urinary protein excretion ≥1 g/day, or
  * 24 hour urinary albumin excretion ≥ 600 mg/day, or
  * spot urine protein/creatinine ratio ≥ 1 g/g creatinine, or
  * spot urine albumin/creatinine ratio ≥ 600 mg/g creatinine, or
  * urine dipstick ≥ 2+ protein
* Arm circumference too large or small to allow accurate blood pressure measurement with available devices
* Diabetes mellitus,
* History of stroke (not CE or stenting)
* Diagnosis of polycystic kidney disease
* Glomerulonephritis treated with or likely to be treated with immunosuppressive therapy
* eGFR \< 20 ml/min /1.73m2 or end-stage renal disease (ESRD)
* Cardiovascular event or procedure (as defined above as clinical CVD for study entry) or hospitalization for unstable angina within last 3 months
* Symptomatic heart failure within the past 6 months or left ventricular ejection fraction (by any method) \< 35%
* A medical condition likely to limit survival to less than 3 years or a malignancy other than non-melanoma skin cancer within the last 2 years
* Any factors judged by the clinic team to be likely to limit adherence to interventions.
* Failure to obtain informed consent from participant
* Currently participating in another clinical trial (intervention study). Note: Patient must wait until the completion of his/her activities or the completion of the other trial before being screened for SPRINT.
* Living in the same household as an already randomized SPRINT participant
* Any organ transplant
* Unintentional weight loss \> 10% in last 6 months
* Pregnancy, currently trying to become pregnant, or of child-bearing potential and not using birth control.
C: Inclusion Criteria:

* acute symptomatic ischemic stroke having relevant lesion on DWI(Diffusion weighted image) MRI 7 days after and 42 days within onset.
* relevant stenosis(more than 50%) or occlusion from MCA(middle cerebral artery)(M1) to distal of ICA(internal carotid artery ) on MR(Magnetic resonance) angiogram or CT angiogram.
* mean systolic blood pressure\>=140mmHg or taking antihypertensive drug on screening.

Exclusion Criteria:

* taking more than 3 antihypertensive drugs and mean systolic blood pressure\>=150mmHg on screening.
* history of recent thrombolysis but stenosis or occlusion remained after thrombolysis.
* evidence of orthostatic hypotension
* suspicious embolic cerebrovascular stenosis
* planned state of cerebrovascular surgery or angioplasty or stent 7 months within screening.
* severe stroke-NIHSS\>=16
* mean systolic blood pressure\>=200mmHg which is not able to control on screening.
* abnormal blood test finding (abnormal LFT(liver function test), anemia, renal insufficiency)
* pregnant or breast-feeding
* severe stroke sequela or medical problem
* suspicious secondary hypertension
* disease causing edema or significant ankle edema on screening.
* severe heart failure which correspond to NYHA (New York Heart Association )heart failure classification class III or IV.
* inappropriate condition determined by investigator
* Patient who do not have FLAIR image on or two months prior to screening.
D: 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.

Answer: D