ABSTRACT
The risk of becoming hypertensive in industrialized countries during a lifetime exceeds 90% (Messerli et al. 2007) and the prevalence of hypertension in North America is expected to rise with the increasing aging sedentary population making hypertension an important health problem. Hypertension is the most prevalent and modifi able risk factor for stroke and predisposes to the development of stroke due to aggravated atherosclerosis in the aortic arch and cervicocerebral arteries with increased risk of embolic brain disease, promoting heart disease that may be a source of cerebral emboli, and promoting focal intracerebral hemorrhages. Hypertension is also a leading risk factor for vascular cognitive impairment, and Alzheimer’s disease, the most common cause of dementia in the elderly (Gorelick et al. 2011).
