Effect of Antihypertensive Program on the Prevention and Treatment of Cerebral Small Vessel Disease

Recently, ACC/AHA has proposed the new diagnostic criteria of hypertension as130/80 mm Hg (1 mm Hg=0.133 kPa), which is different from other guidelines. The core goal of antihypertensive therapy is the protection of target organs. Therefore, the issues related to intensive antihypertensive therapy and the prevention of cerebral small vessel disease have attracted more attention in recent years. Current findings suggest that the antihypertensive program may have a positive effect on secondary prevention of lacunar stroke and white matter lesions. The exact target blood pressure (BP) has not been determined yet. BP and clinical outcomes may present a J-type relationship, indicating that too low or too high BP may both be harmful, and the ideal target BP is to be further explored.