Management of hypertension in acute intracerebral hemorrhage.

Hypertension commonly occurs in the acute period following spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage. Management of this hypertension is controversial. Some advocate lowering blood pressure to reduce the risk of bleeding, edema formation, and systemic hypertensive complications, whereas others advocate allowing blood pressure to run its natural course as a protective measure against cerebral ischemia. This article reviews the pertinent clinical and experimental data regarding these issues and briefly discusses the use of antihypertensive agents commonly administered in this setting.