Health Day News reports that individuals who have had Type 2 Diabetes for more than 10 years are three times more likely to have a stroke than people without the disease.
The study focused on the most common type of stroke, ischemic stroke, which occurs when one or more blood vessels in the brain become blocked by a blood clot. Results of this study are published in the April issue of Stroke.
Someone who has had diabetes less than five years has a 70% increased risk of ischemic stroke, while someone who’s had diabetes for five to 10 years has an 80% increased risk compared to someone without diabetes. The presence of diabetes for more than 10 years was linked to more than a threefold increase in the risk of ischemic stroke.
Senior study author Dr. Mitchell Elkind, an associate professor of neurology and associate chair for clinical research and training at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City stated that the longer people have diabetes, the more likely they would have a stroke, with risk increasing as time went on.
“The risk went up pretty dramatically, to up to a threefold risk for people who’ve had diabetes more than 10 years,” Elkind said. “The findings point to an even greater need for people to do everything they can to prevent Type 2 Diabetes. Get regular exercise, eat a healthy diet, see your physician regularly and avoid smoking.”
All of the 3,300 participants in the study were from New York City and represented a range of ages and ethnicities. The average age of the participants was 69, and nearly two-thirds were women. 21% were white, 24% were black and 52% were Hispanic. During the study period, there were 244 ischemic strokes. The risk of ischemic stroke increased by 3% for every year a person had Type 2 Diabetes.
The reasons why people with Type 2 Diabetes could have an increased risk of stroke include more plaque build-up in arteries, as well as high blood pressure, which is prevalent in diabetics. However, while the study did successfully uncover an influence and association between Type 2 Diabetes and stroke, it did not prove a cause-and-effect relationship.
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