Antihypertensive drugs reduce headache but it is unclear whether there are differences between drug classes .
Calcium channel blockers ( CCBs ) decrease variability in systolic blood pressure ( SBPV ) and stroke risk more than other classes , possibly due to decreased vascular tone .
If so , there might be a correlation between drug-class effects on variability in SBP and on headache .
Antihypertensive drugs reduce headache but the effect differs between classes , corresponding to their effects on SBPV and the risk of stroke .
This may partly be explained by consistent antihypertensive class effects on vascular tone in the peripheral ( variability ) and cerebrovascular circulations ( headache )
Cerebral hemodynamics in young hypertensive subjects and effects of atenolol treatment
The aim of this study was to evaluate changes in cerebral hemodynamics in young patients with uncomplicated hypertension before and after effective antihypertensive treatment with a beta-blocker drug . Changes in mean flow velocity in the middle cerebral artery from normal condition to hypercapnia were evaluated by means of a transcranial Doppler in 42 hypertensive patients and 21 healthy subjects comparable for age and sex distribution . We obtained hypercapnia with breath-holding and evaluated cerebrovascular reactivity with the breath-holding index ( BHI ) . After a baseline evaluation ( time 0 ) , patients were r and omly assigned to a placebo ( group 1 ) or atenolol ( group 2 ) therapy . The evaluation was repeated after 30 ( time 1 ) and 60 ( time 2 ) days of treatment . Before treatment , hypertensive patients had significantly lower BHI values ( 0.96 + /- 0.1 group 1 and 0.85 + /- 0.3 group 2 ) than controls ( 1.69 + /- 0.4 ) ( P < 0.0001 ) . During treatment , mean blood pressure significantly decreased in group 2 patients . In the same group , BHI values significantly increased with respect to the pre-treatment evaluation : 1.39 + /- 0.2 at time 1 and 1.44 + /- 0.2 at time 2 ( P < 0.0001 ) . On the contrary , mean blood pressure and BHI values remained unchanged in the placebo group . Furthermore , BHI values were significantly higher in group 2 than in group 1 patients at times 1 ( P < 0.001 ) and 2 ( P < 0.0001 ) . These findings suggest that hypertension causes reduced capability of cerebral vessels to adapt to functional changes . This condition , which is reversible after treatment , could be implicated in the increased susceptibility to ischemic stroke in hypertension
Antihypertensive drugs reduce headache but it is unclear whether there are differences between drug classes .
Calcium channel blockers ( CCBs ) decrease variability in systolic blood pressure ( SBPV ) and stroke risk more than other classes , possibly due to decreased vascular tone .
If so , there might be a correlation between drug-class effects on variability in SBP and on headache .
Antihypertensive drugs reduce headache but the effect differs between classes , corresponding to their effects on SBPV and the risk of stroke .
This may partly be explained by consistent antihypertensive class effects on vascular tone in the peripheral ( variability ) and cerebrovascular circulations ( headache )