New research has shown that people with occasionally high blood pressure are more at risk of stroke than those with consistently high readings.
Current guidelines focus on measuring average blood pressure levels to spot and prevent the chance of a stroke but the research suggests that doctors should no longer ignore variation in test results and give drugs that produce the most steady blood pressure levels.
The Stroke Association has called for national guidelines to be overhauled.
UK and Swedish researchers found those with fluctuating readings at different GP visits had the greatest risk of future stroke regardless of what their average blood pressure reading was.
A review of previous trials also found that the differences in effectiveness of several blood pressure drugs could be explained by how well they kept blood pressure on an even keel. Some drugs, in particular beta blockers, were shown in a separate study in The Lancet Neurology, to increase variation in a patient's blood pressure.
Read more at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8562830.stm
