Abstract TP413: Compliance to Consistent Home Blood Pressure Monitoring Reduces the Risk of Vascular Cognitive Impairment in Stroke Patients

Abstract

Background: Hypertension (HTN) is a well-recognized risk factor for vascular cognitive decline. Poorly controlled HTN is common in the outpatient setting, with multi-factorial components including a lack of consistent, continuous and accurate reporting of blood pressure (BP) to help clinicians to tailor therapy. In the current prospective study, we explore the association of stroke patients’ at-home BP self-monitoring compliance with clinical and imaging risk markers of developing cognitive impairment. Method: 146 consecutive stroke outpatients with diagnosed HTN were recruited per IRB protocol. All patients received BP education at their first clinical visit and were encouraged to monitor BP at home on a daily basis for two weeks three times during the course of the 5-year study. Compliance with BP monitoring was evaluated by completed BP log and questionnaire in follow-up visits at fixed intervals. At the end of the study, white matter disease (WMD) severity was estimated by Fazekas and Sheltens scores. Cognitive impairment was assessed using Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) scales. Result: Only 16.4% (n=24) patients had “good compliance,” monitoring their home BP regularly and consistently as instructed. The compliant group had better controlled systolic and diastolic BP (Figure A, p<0.05). As measured by Fazekas and Sheltens scales, patients compliant with BP monitoring had lower WMD burden (Figure B, p<0.05), and higher MoCA scores (Figure C, p=0.012) compared to noncompliant patients. Conclusion: Compliance with at-home BP monitoring is essential for better BP control in vascular cognitive impairment (VCI) patients post stroke. Consistent home BP monitoring resulted in decreased imaging-apparent small vessel disease and better long-term cognitive performance. Expanded study with a larger patient cohort is ongoing to account for other behavioral and psycho-social factors and to create improved home monitoring technology and treatment strategies.