Systolic blood pressure readings in intervention and control groups*
| Variable; patient group | Systolic pressure, mm Hg, mean ± SD | Mean fall from baseline (95% CI), mm Hg† | Adjusted‡ difference in mean fall (95% CI), intervention–control, mm Hg | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 mo n = 352¶ | 12 mo n = 337 | 6 mo n = 352 | 12 mo n = 337 | Baseline to 6 mo | Baseline to 12 mo | |
| All patients | ||||||
| Intervention, n = 168 | 137.8 ± 20.8 | 138.5 ± 20.8 | 2.8 (−0.4 to 5.9) | 1.7 (−1.4 to 4.8) | −0.2 (−3.9 to 3.5) | 0.3 (−3.6 to 4.2) |
| Control, n = 169 | 135.4 ± 19.2 | 136.7 ± 20.3 | 0.6 (−2.4 to 3.5) | −0.7 (−4.0 to 2.5) | ||
| Rankin score ≤ 1 | ||||||
| Intervention, n = 93 | 137.3 ± 20.3 | 138.3 ± 20.0 | 4.2 (0.1 to 8.4) | 3.5 (−0.6 to 7.6) | 3.4 (−1.5 to 8.2) | 2.4 (−2.9 to 7.6) |
| Control, n = 93 | 137.9 ± 20.7 | 138.2 ± 21.1 | −1.9 (−5.3 to 1.4) | −1.4 (−5.4 to 2.6) | ||
| Rankin score ≥ 2 | ||||||
| Intervention, n = 75 | 138.4 ± 21.5 | 138.8 ± 22.0 | 1.0 (−3.9 to 6.0) | −0.5 (−5.3 to 4.2) | −4.7 (−10.2 to 0.8) | −2.3 (−8.1 to 3.5) |
| Control, n = 76 | 131.9 ± 16.5 | 134.9 ± 19.2 | 4.0 (−1.1 to 9.2) | 0.1 (−5.3 to 5.5) | ||
| Interaction p value | p = 0.03 | p = 0.2 | ||||
| Baseline blood pressure > 140/90 and < 200/100 mm Hg | ||||||
| Intervention, n = 68 | 145.0 (18.6) | 143.2 (17.8) | 9.3 (5.2 to 13.5) | 11.2 (6.8 to 15.7) | 1.6 (−4.0 to 7.1) | 5.9 (−0.1 to 11.9) |
| Control, n = 65 | 145.8 (17.8) | 147.8 (18.8) | 7.4 (2.8 to 12.1) | 4.7 (−0.5 to 9.8) | ||
| Baseline blood pressure ≤ 140/90 mm Hg | ||||||
| Intervention, n = 94 | 131.5 (19.0) | 132.8 (19.0) | −5.4 (−8.9 to −1.8) | −6.6 (−10.2 to −3.0) | −1.9 (−6.4 to 2.7) | −2.5 (−7.4 to 2.4) |
| Control, n = 102 | 128.0 (15.0) | 129.4 (17.0) | −4.9 (−7.8 to −1.9) | −5.5 (−8.9 to −2.1) | ||
| Interaction p value | p = 0.4 | p = 0.03 | ||||
Note: CI = confidence interval, SD = standard deviation.
↵* Sensitivity analysis for missing values using multiple imputation did not change any of the findings (data not shown).
↵† Negative values indicate rise in blood pressure.
↵‡ Adjusted for stratification factors (age, sex and Rankin disability score) and baseline systolic blood pressure.
↵¶ Data are given for the 175 intervention and 177 control patients followed up for 6 mo.