People with diabetes need to control their blood sugar levels, among other things, to prevent stroke. New research, published in the journal Neurology, suggests that there may be an ideal blood sugar range for these people to help prevent heart attacks and strokes
"We know that diabetes may be associated with an increased risk of stroke," explains study author Mun-Ku Hande of the Seoul National University School of Medicine in Korea. "But our results show that there is an optimal level of sugar in the blood that can begin to minimize the risk of another stroke, heart attack or other vascular problems, and it ranges between 6.8% and 7.0%."
The study involved 18,567 people with diabetes, with an average age of 70 years. All the participants were hospitalized for an ischemic stroke caused by a blood clot. Upon admission, the researchers used a test called hemoglobin A1C to determine people's average blood sugar levels over the past two to three months. This test measures the percentage of hemoglobin proteins in the blood covered with sugar. A level below 5.7% is considered normal; 6.5% or more usually indicates diabetes. The participants had an average A1C of 7.5% .
Observation after one year
Over the next year, the researchers continued to monitor to see if there was a link between A1C levels and the risk of another stroke, heart attack, or death from a vascular cause. Of all the participants, about 8% suffered a heart attack or died of vascular disease and 5% suffered another stroke .
The study found that people admitted to the hospital with A1C levels above 6.8-7.0% had an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, such as a heart attack, in addition to having a second stroke .
After adjusting for factors such as age and gender, the researchers found that people's risk of heart attack or similar vascular disease was 27% higher when they were hospitalized with A1C levels above 7.0%. compared to those admitted with A1C levels below 6.5%. ... People had a 28% higher risk of having another stroke when admitted to the hospital with A1C levels above 7.0%, compared to those below 6.5%.
"Our results highlight the importance of carefully monitoring your blood sugar levels if you have diabetes and have had a stroke," Khan said. One limitation of the study is that blood sugar was measured only at the beginning. investigate; there were no levels of follow-up.
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