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Heart Health
Better blood pressure control after a stroke may reduce risk of falls
- By Julie Corliss, Executive Editor, Harvard Heart Letter
Research we're watching
Stroke survivors who take their blood pressure drugs as prescribed may be less likely to have a serious fall than those who don’t follow their medication schedules, according to a study in the January 2023 issue of Hypertension.
Researchers followed 4,067 people who received blood pressure drugs after a stroke. For the first six months, nearly half didn’t take the drugs as prescribed, likely due to a variety of factors, such as health care access problems, forgetfulness, and a fear of falling resulting from medication side effects.
After a year, researchers found that people who took their blood pressure drugs as prescribed were less likely to have been hospitalized for a fall, to have developed serious cardiovascular problems, or to have died in that period, compared with people who didn’t consistently take their medication. It’s important to note, however, that people who take medications faithfully may have other healthy habits that contribute to their better health, says the authors.
Image: © Jose Luis Pelaez Inc/Getty Images
About the Author

Julie Corliss, Executive Editor, Harvard Heart Letter
Disclaimer:
As a service to our readers, Harvard Health Publishing provides access to our library of archived content. Please note the date of last review or update on all articles.
No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician.
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Controlling Your Blood Pressure
An alarming one in three American adults has high blood pressure. Known medically as hypertension, many people don't even know they have it, because high blood pressure has no symptoms or warning signs. But when elevated blood pressure is accompanied by abnormal cholesterol and blood sugar levels, the damage to your arteries, kidneys, and heart accelerates exponentially. Fortunately, high blood pressure is easy to detect and treat. In the Special Health Report, Controlling Your Blood Pressure, find out how to keep blood pressure in a healthy range simply by making lifestyle changes, such as losing weight, increasing activity, and eating more healthfully.
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