Abstract
In cerebrovascular disease a high serum cholesterol and cigarette smoking only have a marginal effect on the incidence of atherothrombotic brain infarction. Glucose intolerance is more important, and it is likely that effective control of blood glucose concentrations would reduce substantially the incidence of strokes in elderly diabetics. The influence of hypertension, however, predominates, and increases with the age of the patient (Fig. 10.1). It would appear reasonable, therefore, that treatment aimed at reducing hypertension would reduce the risk of a stroke. Long-term studies are in progress at present to confirm or refute this hypothesis. In the meantime, most clinicians feel justified in treating a high blood pressure in old age (Chap. 4).
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© 1984 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg
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MacLennan, W.J., Shepherd, A.N., Stevenson, I.H. (1984). Disorders of the Nervous System. In: The Elderly. Treatment in Clinical Medicine. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-3115-1_10
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-3115-1_10
Publisher Name: Springer, London
Print ISBN: 978-3-540-13236-3
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