Type 2 Diabetes Doubles Risk of Stroke

Filed in archive Developments , Research on June 16, 2007

Type 2 diabetics are at a double risk of having stroke. The risk of stroke has been found to be at a considered high within the first five years of type 2 diabetes treatment - dispelling the old notion that the risk of stroke in type 2 diabetes patients occur only in the long term (i.e. after 10 years).

Such were the findings of a new University of Alberta research.

According to Dr. Thomas Jeerakathil, an assistant professor in Neurology, at the University of Alberta:

"What we found is that 9.1 per cent of the diabetes cohort had a stroke within the first five years of their diagnosis.

We also found that compared to persons from the general population of a similar age, the relative risk for stroke was much greater in younger persons with diabetes than for older persons.

We hope our findings will help to dispel the notion that the risk of stroke occurs only in the long term and will improve the motivation of both patients and health care providers to aggressively control cardiovascular risk factors soon after diagnosis."

Findings of this research recently appeared in the American Heart Association's Stroke journal.

Read the full report.