Increased risk of diabetes in stroke patients

This study evaluated the risk of diabetes in stroke patients. They concluded that there is a higher risk of diabetes in patients with stroke and that these patients exhibit a higher risk of urinary tract infections, pneumonia and mortality.

Stroke is known to be one of the comorbidities for patients with diabetes. Hyperglycemia (high blood sugar) is a common occurrence after stroke even in patients without diabetes. Stroke patients can present with impaired sugar breakdown and metabolism which progresses to diabetes. Despite these associations, the risk of diabetes in stroke patients is not completely understood.

This study aimed to evaluate the risk of diabetes in patients with stroke.

10,255 patients with newly diagnosed stroke were compared to 41,020 patients without stroke. Patients were followed for between 8 and 13 years, and the rate of diabetes was recorded.

The prevalence of diabetes in stroke patients was 2.69-fold greater than the non-stroke group. This was specific for both males and females over the age of 20.

Diabetes risk was increased in stroke patients with hypertension (high blood pressure), mental disorders, ischemic heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, hyperlipidemia (high level of fats in the blood), heart failure and alcohol-related illness. There was also an increased risk of diabetes in stroke patients on specific medications including aspirin, anti-platelet agents, statins, anti-coagulants and anti-hypertensive agents.

For stroke patients with diabetes, there was a 52% higher risk of urinary tract infection, 35% higher risk of pneumonia and 71% higher risk of mortality.

The authors concluded that stroke patients have a higher risk of diabetes. They stated that this signifies that stroke can result in other complications than just neurological defects.