Does angiotensin-II protect against strokes?

In the Medical Research Council trial for the treatment of mild hypertension, bendrofluazide showed an unexpected and sizeable benefit compared with propranolol in the reduction of stroke. It is suggested that this difference reflects the opposing actions of these drugs on the renin-angiotensin system. The hypothesis that angiotensin-II protects the distal smaller cerebral vessels, which are the usual site of vessel rupture in intracerebral haemorrhage, indicates that long-term benefit of angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitors in the treatment of hypertension cannot be assumed.