Effect of diabetes on the risk of stroke recurrence within one year after onset of ischemic stroke

Abstract

Objective To investigate the effect of diabetes on the risk of stroke recurrence within 1 year after onset of ischemic stroke. Methods Patients with ischemic stroke admitted to the Department of Neurology, the Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University from October 2016 to August 2017 were enrolled prospectively. Their baseline clinical data were collected and they were followed up for one year. The risk factors for ischemic stroke in recurrence group and non-recurrence group were compared. Cox proportional hazard regression model was used to determine the independent risk factors for ischemic stroke recurrence. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was used to explore the impact of risk factors on the risk of stroke recurrence. Results A total of 1 436 patients with ischemic stroke were included. During the follow-up of 1 year, a total of 183 patients had recurrence (12.74%). There were significant differences in the proportion of patients with diabetes, atrial fibrillation, hyperhomocysteinemia, oral antiplatelet drugs, and statins after discharge, and baseline fasting blood glucose level between the recurrence and the non-recurrence group (all P<0.05). Multivariate Cox proportional hazards analysis showed that diabetes mellitus (hazard ratio [HR] 1.574, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.161-2.134; P=0.003) was an independent risk factor for stroke recurrence. Taking statins (HR 0.686, 95% CI 0.481-0.979; P=0.038) and antiplatelet agents (HR 0.678, 95% CI 0.467-0.983; P=0.041) after discharge were the independent protective factors for ischemic stroke recurrence. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that the recurrence rate of ischemic stroke in patients with diabetes was significantly higher than that in those without diabetes (log-rank test, P=0.003). The recurrence rate of stroke in patients taking statins and antiplatelet drugs was significantly lower than that in patients who did not take the corresponding drugs (log-rank test, all P<0.001). Conclusions Diabetes is an independent risk factor for ischemic stroke recurrence, and taking statins and antiplatelet drugs are the independent protective factors for ischemic stroke recurrence. Key words: Stroke; Brain ischemia; Diabetes mellitus; Secondary prevention; Recurrence; Risk factors