The study results, published this week in Circulation, show that an increase of 10 mm Hg in systolic blood pressure corresponds to a 31 percent greater chance of complex aortic atherosclerosis.
Complex atherosclerosis means the deposits on the artery walls have formed irregular clumps.
When these clumps break off, they may lodge in the smaller blood vessels of the brain, causing a stroke. A typical echocardiogram uses ultrasound waves from outside the body to generate images of the heart. As a result, the focus of treatment has been on the bottom number, and not as much attention has been paid to the top number. This study indicates that high systolic pressure also is a very important factor in raising the risk of stroke. Dr. Khandheria says the study points to the need for physicians to pay more attention to systolic pressure, even if the bottom number is in the normal range, and for patients to take their blood pressure-lowering medications.