[Diabetes mellitus and aging as a risk factor for cerebral vascular disease: epidemiology, pathophysiology and...

Older patients with diabetes have a high risk of vascular complications. They have an increase of approximately 3 times for developing stroke compared with subjects without diabetes. In addition, up to 75-80% of deaths in diabetic patients are associated with major cardiovascular events including stroke. The risk of stroke is high within 5 years of diagnosis for type 2 diabetes is 9% (mortality 21%), that is more than doubles the rate for the general population. From observational registries in a collaborative stroke study in Mexico, we analyzed clinical data, risk factors, and outcome of 1182 diabetic patients with cerebral ischemia, with focus in elderly subjects. There was a high frequency of hyperglycemia during the acute phase of stroke: the median value was 140 mg/dL and 40% had values higher than 180 mg/dL. Clinical outcome was usually unfavorable in elderly stroke patients with diabetes: case fatality rate was 30% at 30 days and survivors had moderate to severe disability, usually as consequence of the propensity to develop more systemic medical complications during hospital stay. Primary stroke prevention studies in patients with diabetes reveal that tight control of glucose is not associated with reduction in stroke risk. Therefore, proper control of other vascular risk factors is mandatory in patients with diabetes, in particular of arterial hypertension.