hi, I had a "mini stroke" paralysed down one side for 15 minutes. when I was in hospital my blood pressure was high ( 180/105), but this was normal for me, one of the reasons I had a stroke in the first place. as a stroke is caused by a restriction of blood to part of the brain, I wouldn't have thought that it would cause pressure to rise, but the scare it gives you would!
In both the U.K. as well as here in the U.S., recent studies have shown elevated systolic blood pressure levels (≥160mmHg) are a common complication of acute stroke, affecting up to 60% of patients.
The consensus seems to point to the body attempting to increase the blood flow to the areas damaged by the brain.
There is not much in the way of consensus, however, on whether or not to treat the elevated blood pressure following a stroke...