AHA/ASA guideline recommendations for secondary prevention of stroke

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Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Aysha Anwar, M.B.B.S[2]

2014 AHA/ASA Guidelines for the Secondary Prevention of Stroke

Hypertension

Class I

"1. Initiation of BP therapy is indicated for previously untreated patients with ischemic stroke or TIA who, after the first several days, have an established BP ≥140 mm Hg systolic or ≥90 mm Hg diastolic.  (Level of Evidence: B)"

"2. Resumption of BP therapy is indicated for previously treated patients with known hypertension for both prevention of recurrent stroke and prevention of other vascular events in those who have had an ischemic stroke or TIA and are beyond the first several days (Level of Evidence: A)"

"3. The optimal drug regimen to achieve the recommended level of reductions is uncertain because direct comparisons between regimens are limited. The available data indicate that diuretics or the combination of diuretics and an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor is useful. (Level of Evidence: A)"

Class IIb

"1. Goals for target BP level or reduction from pretreatment baseline are uncertain and should be individualized, but it is reasonable to achieve a systolic pressure <140 mm Hg and a diastolic pressure <90 mm Hg. (Level of Evidence: B)"

"2. Several lifestyle modifications have been associated with BP reductions and are a reasonable part of a comprehensive antihypertensive therapy.(Level of Evidence: C)"

"3. The choice of specific drugs and targets should be individualized on the basis of pharmacological properties, mechanism of action, and consideration of specific patient characteristics for which specific agents are probably indicated (eg, extracranial cerebrovascular occlusive disease, renal impairment, cardiac disease, and DM). (Level of Evidence: B)"

Class IIb

"1. Initiation of therapy for patients with BP <140 mm Hg systolic and <90 mm Hg diastolic is of uncertain benefit (Level of Evidence: C)"

"2. For patients with a recent lacunar stroke, it might be reasonable to target an SBP of <130 mm Hg (Level of Evidence: B)"

Dyslipidemia

Class I

"1. Statin therapy with intensive lipid-lowering effects is recommended to reduce risk of stroke and cardiovascular events among patients with ischemic stroke or TIA presumed to be of atherosclerotic origin and an LDL-C level ≥100 mg/dL with or without evidence for other clinical ASCVD. (Level of Evidence: B)"

"2. Statin therapy with intensive lipid-lowering effects is recommended to reduce risk of stroke and cardiovascular events among patients with ischemic stroke or TIA presumed to be of atherosclerotic origin, an LDL-C level <100 mg/dL, and no evidence for other clinical ASCVD. (Level of Evidence: C)"

"3. Patients with ischemic stroke or TIA and other comorbid ASCVD should be otherwise managed according to the 2013 ACC/AHA cholesterol guidelines,16 which include lifestyle modification, dietary recommendations, and medication recommendations. (Level of Evidence: A)"

Disorders of Glucose Metabolism and DM

Class I

"1. Use of existing guidelines from the ADA for glycemic control and cardiovascular risk factor management is recommended for patients with an ischemic stroke or TIA who also have DM or pre-DM. (Level of Evidence: B)"

Class IIa

"1. After a TIA or ischemic stroke, all patients should probably be screened for DM with testing of fasting plasma glucose, HbA1c, or an oral glucose tolerance test. Choice of test and timing should be guided by clinical judgment and recognition that acute illness may temporarily perturb measures of plasma glucose. In general, HbA1c may be more accurate than other screening tests in the immediate postevent period. (Level of Evidence: C)"

Class I

"1. All patients with TIA or stroke should be screened for obesity with measurement of BMI . (Level of Evidence: C)"

Class IIb

"1. Despite the demonstrated beneficial effects of weight loss on cardiovascular risk factors, the usefulness of weight loss among patients with a recent TIA or ischemic stroke and obesity is uncertain. (Level of Evidence: C)"

Metabolic Syndrome

Class I

"1. Preventive care for patient with the metabolic syndrome should include appropriate treatment for individual components of the syndrome, which are also stroke risk factors, particularly dyslipidemia and hypertension. (Level of Evidence: A)"

"2. For patients who are screened and classified as having the metabolic syndrome, management should focus on counseling for lifestyle modification (diet, exercise, and weight loss) for vascular risk reduction. (Level of Evidence: C)"</nowiki |- |} {|class="wikitable" |- | colspan="1" style="text-align:center; background:LemonChiffon"|[[ACC AHA guidelines classification scheme#Classification of Recommendations|Class IIb]] |- |bgcolor="LemonChiffon"|<nowiki>"1. At this time, the usefulness of screening patients for the metabolic syndrome after stroke is unknown. (Level of Evidence: C)"

Physical Inactivity

Class IIa

"1. For patients with ischemic stroke or TIA who are capable of engaging in physical activity, at least 3 to 4 sessions per week of moderate- to vigorous-intensity aerobic physical exercise are reasonable to reduce stroke risk factors. Sessions should last an average of 40 minutes. Moderate-intensity exercise is typically defined as sufficient to break a sweat or noticeably raise heart rate (eg, walking briskly, using an exercise bicycle). Vigorous-intensity exercise includes activities such as jogging. (Level of Evidence: C)"

"2. For patients who are able and willing to initiate increased physical activity, referral to a comprehensive, behaviorally oriented program is reasonable At this time, the usefulness of screening patients for the metabolic syndrome after stroke is unknown. (Level of Evidence: C)"

Class IIb

"1. For individuals with disability after ischemic stroke, supervision by a healthcare professional such as a physical therapist or cardiac rehabilitation professional, at least on initiation of an exercise regimen, may be considered . (Level of Evidence: C)"

Nutrition

Class I

"1. Patients with a history of ischemic stroke or TIA and signs of undernutrition should be referred for individualized nutritional counseling. (Level of Evidence: B)"

Class IIa

"1. It is reasonable to conduct a nutritional assessment for patients with a history of ischemic stroke or TIA, looking for signs of overnutrition or undernutrition. (Level of Evidence: C)"

"2. It is reasonable to recommend that patients with a history of stroke or TIA reduce their sodium intake to less than ≈2.4 g/d. Further reduction to <1.5 g/d is also reasonable and is associated with even greater BP reduction. (Level of Evidence: C)"

"3. It is reasonable to counsel patients with a history of stroke or TIA to follow a Mediterranean-type diet instead of a low-fat diet. The Mediterranean-type diet emphasizes vegetables, fruits, and whole grains and includes low-fat dairy products, poultry, fish, legumes, olive oil, and nuts. It limits intake of sweets and red meats. (Level of Evidence: C)"

Class III (Harm)

"1. Routine supplementation with a single vitamin or combination of vitamins is not recommended. (Level of Evidence: A)"

Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Class IIb

"1. A sleep study might be considered for patients with an ischemic stroke or TIA on the basis of the very high prevalence of sleep apnea in this population and the strength of the evidence that the treatment of sleep apnea improves outcomes in the general population. (Level of Evidence: B)"

"2. Treatment with CPAP might be considered for patients with ischemic stroke or TIA and sleep apnea given the emerging evidence in support of improved outcomes. (Level of Evidence: B)"

Cigarette Smoking

Class I

"1. Healthcare providers should strongly advise every patient with stroke or TIA who has smoked in the past year to quit. (Level of Evidence: C)"

"2. Counseling, nicotine products, and oral smoking cessation medications are effective in helping smokers to quit . (Level of Evidence: A)"

Class IIa

"1. It is reasonable to advise patients after TIA or ischemic stroke to avoid environmental (passive) tobacco smoke. (Level of Evidence: B)"

Alcohol Consumption

Class I

"1. Patients with ischemic stroke, TIA, or hemorrhagic stroke who are heavy drinkers should eliminate or reduce their consumption of alcohol. (Level of Evidence: C)"

Class IIb

"1. Light to moderate amounts of alcohol consumption (up to 2 drinks per day for men and up to 1 drink per day for nonpregnant women) may be reasonable, although nondrinkers should not be counseled to start drinking. (Level of Evidence: B)"

Interventional Approaches for the Patient With Large-Artery Atherosclerosis

Extracranial Carotid Disease

Class I

"1. (Level of Evidence: A)"

"2. (Level of Evidence: B)"

"3. (Level of Evidence: B)"

"4. (Level of Evidence: A)"

Class IIa

"1. (Level of Evidence: B)"

"2. (Level of Evidence: B)"

"3. (Level of Evidence: B)"

"4. (Level of Evidence: B)"

Class IIb

"1. (Level of Evidence: C)"

Class III (Harm)

"1. (Level of Evidence: A)"

"2. (Level of Evidence: B)"

"3. (Level of Evidence: A)"

Extracranial Vertebrobasilar Disease

Class I

"1. (Level of Evidence: C)"

Class IIb

"1. (Level of Evidence: C)"

"2. (Level of Evidence: C)"

Intracranial Atherosclerosis

Class I

"1. (Level of Evidence: B)"

"2. (Level of Evidence: B)"

Class IIb

"1. (Level of Evidence: B)"

"2. (Level of Evidence: C)"

"3. (Level of Evidence: C)"

"4. (Level of Evidence: C)"

"5. (Level of Evidence: C)"

Class III (Harm)

"1. (Level of Evidence: B)"

"2. (Level of Evidence: B)"

"3. (Level of Evidence: B)"

Class I

"1. (Level of Evidence: A)"

"2. (Level of Evidence: A)"

"3. (Level of Evidence: A)"

Class IIa

"1. (Level of Evidence: C)"

"2. (Level of Evidence: B)"

"3. (Level of Evidence: B)"

"4. (Level of Evidence: B)"

"5. (Level of Evidence: C)"

Class IIa

"1. (Level of Evidence: B)"

"2. (Level of Evidence: B)"