Impact of Insulin Resistance on Stroke Risk

A study analyzed the association between insulin resistance in type 2 diabetes (T2D) and stroke risk using their health records with patient’s waist circumference, HbA1c (average blood sugar level), and blood pressure level.

A new association between insulin resistance and stroke is found in a study of more than 100,000 people with type 2 diabetes (T2D), presented at the annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD).

Insulin resistance occurs when the cells don’t respond properly to insulin and can’t take up glucose from blood easily. It is a key feature of T2D and levels vary from patient to patient.

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‘Higher the insulin resistance, the greater the risk of stroke in type 2 diabetic patients.’

Estimated glucose disposal rate (eGDR) is used as a measure of insulin resistance. It is calculated using a formula that factors in a patient’s waist circumference, HbA1c (average blood sugar level), and whether they have high blood pressure.

Researchers used health records to calculate the eGDR of 104,697 T2D patients in Sweden. The participants had an average age of 63 and 44.5% were female.

They were followed up for an average of 5.6 years, during which 4,201 (4%) had a stroke.

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The analysis also revealed that the higher a person’s insulin resistance, the greater their chance of having a stroke. Those with the lowest insulin resistance (the highest eGDR) were 40% less likely to have a stroke than those with the highest insulin resistance.

They also found that higher insulin resistance was linked to a higher risk of death after a stroke. Those with the lowest resistance were 28 per less likely to die during the follow-up period than those with the most severe insulin resistance.

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Further analysis showed high blood pressure to be more strongly linked to stroke than waist circumference or HbA1c.

In individuals with type 2 diabetes, eGDR can be used for better understanding and management of their stroke and death risk.

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In this era of personalized medicine, better stratification of type 2 diabetes patients will help optimize clinical trials and further vital research into treatment, diagnosis, care and prevention.

Source-Medindia