While several studies have shown that diabetes puts patients at risk for conditions such as heart disease, stroke, and kidney failure, a healthy lifestyle and insulin therapy can help reduce these risks.
What is stroke?
A stroke occurs when one of the many blood vessels that supply oxygen to the brain is damaged or blocked. If the blood flow is cut off for more than 3 to 4 minutes, the part of the brain that is supplied by this blood vessel begins to die.
There are two types of stroke:
- Hemorrhagic stroke caused by a ruptured artery;
- ischemic stroke caused by a blocked artery.
Diabetes can make it harder for the body to respond to a stroke. When the oxygen supply is cut off, other arteries can usually act as bypasses to provide blood flow to it. But with diabetes, these blood vessels may harden or become blocked by plaque, a condition called atherosclerosis, which makes it harder for blood to get to the brain.
Causes
High blood pressure is a major risk factor for stroke. Other risk factors include smoking and elevated low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or “bad” cholesterol.
Symptoms
Stroke is an emergency, whether you have diabetes or not. If you experience any of the following symptoms, seek immediate medical attention.
- Sudden numbness or weakness in the face, arms, or legs (especially on one side of the body);
- Problems with speech or understanding words and simple sentences;
- Sudden blurred vision or loss of vision in one or both eyes;
- Sudden difficulty swallowing;
- Dizziness, loss of balance, or lack of coordination;
- Temporary loss of consciousness;
- Sudden inability to move parts of the body (paralysis);
- Sudden, unexplained, and severe headache.
Treatment
A thrombolytic drug called tissue-type fibrinogen activator (tPA), which must be used within the first 3 hours after stroke symptoms begin, treats ischemic stroke and dissolves clots that block arteries and helps restore blood flow to brain tissue. However, this drug is not used for all ischemic strokes, especially if you have had major surgery in the past 2 weeks or have had a recent head trauma.
In addition, some newly developed and still experimental drugs may stop or even reverse brain damage if used immediately after a stroke.
Other treatment options include a procedure called carotid endarterectomy, which removes plaque from the carotid artery, which supplies most of the blood needed for the brain. Another treatment, called carotid angioplasty and stenting, allows doctors to place a deflated balloon into the artery to dilate the vessel wall, followed by a mesh stent to keep the artery open. This procedure may not be as effective, especially if the patient has diabetes.
There are other ways to remove blood clots from the brain. For some patients, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved devices such as the Intracranial Thrombus Isolation Aspiration Combo System, which can remove blood clots after a patient has had a stroke.
How do you prevent stroke?
How do you prevent stroke?
If you have diabetes and your doctor suspects that your arteries are hardening, you may be advised to change your diet and lifestyle and the medications you use to prevent the blockage that causes a stroke. Other ways to reduce the chance of stroke include the following:
- Quit smoking.
- Stop smoking.
- Control blood glucose levels.
- Maintain a healthy weight.
- Maintain a healthy weight.
- Exercise regularly.
- Check your cholesterol (especially LDL, or “not so good” cholesterol).
- Check your cholesterol (especially LDL, or “not so good” cholesterol). The goal should be an LDL level below 100 mg/dL. Your doctor may recommend dietary changes to help lower these values.
- Limit the amount of alcohol you drink. Up to 1 drink per day for women and up to 2 drinks per day for men.
- Measure your blood pressure. If your blood pressure is high, your doctor will tell you how to control it.
- If your doctor prescribes preventive medicine, make sure you use it.
- If your doctor prescribes aspirin, take it every day. To prevent heart disease, some people with diabetes may benefit from using a low-dose aspirin (81 to 325 mg per day).