Diabetes and stroke
Diabetes is extremely common, and it is on the increase. This factsheet describes the main symptoms of diabetes and explains why being diabetic increases your risk of stroke. If you are diabetic, you can reduce the likelihood of having a stroke by keeping control of your diabetes, monitoring your blood pressure and making changes in your life such as taking regular daily exercise and giving up smoking.Having diabetes doubles or triples your risk of stroke, so it is crucial to have it properly diagnosed and kept under control.
Types of diabetes
The first, Type 1, usually – but not always– begins in childhood or adolescence. It develops when the body stops producing insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas that helps control levels of glucose in the bloodstream (blood glucose).The second form, Type 2, usually first appears in middle age. It develops when the body produces insulin but is unable to respond to its action (insulin resistance), or when the body can’t produce enough insulin for its needs.
Type 2 is the most common form, and affects approximately 90 per cent of people with diabetes. People who are overweight are particularly prone to this form, and it is more common in people who are of Asian or African-Caribbean descent. There may also be a genetic link, as it tends to run in families.
Recognising symptoms
Many people live for years with undiagnosed– and therefore untreated – diabetes, putting them at risk of a number of conditions. The main symptoms are increased thirst, increased urination, especially at night, extreme tiredness, weight loss, genital itching or regular episodes of thrush and blurred vision. If you have Type 2 diabetes, you may not notice these symptoms at all, or at least not when they first develop. Ask your doctor to test you for Type 2 diabetes every few years, particularly if you have any risk factors that make you more likely to develop the condition.The link with stroke
Insulin is the key to diabetes. People with Type 1 diabetes do not produce insulin, while those with Type 2 are either not able to respond to its action or do not produce enough.As a result of this insulin resistance or lack of insulin, high levels of glucose build up in the bloodstream – called hyperglycaemia. However, diabetes is not simply a problem of glucose. Diabetes, especially uncontrolled or untreated diabetes, can cause damage to both the large and small blood vessels, resulting in the blood vessel walls becoming stiff, narrow and furred (atherosclerosis). This greatly increases the risk of stroke. In fact, stroke is responsible for about 15 per cent of deaths in people with Type 2 diabetes.
As a result of the damage to the blood vessels and circulatory system, people with diabetes also have an increased risk of developing heart disease, as well as experiencing damage to the nerves, kidneys and eyes. This is especially true for people with diabetes who are also very overweight, who smoke or who are not physically active. If you have diabetes you are most at risk of having an ischaemic stroke. This is the most common type, read more
