Diabetes is an Independent Risk Factor for Stroke Recurrence in Stroke Patients: A Meta-analysis

This study aimed to assess the association between diabetes and risk of stroke recurrence (especially ischemic stroke recurrence) and to evaluate whether diabetes was an independent predictor for stroke recurrence in stroke patients with diabetes.

The relevant studies were identified through searching databases of PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane library. Adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were pooled to evaluate the association between diabetes and risk of stroke recurrence. Funnel plot and Egger's regression tests were used to assess publication bias. All statistical analyses were conducted in Stata 12.0.

Eighteen studies containing totally 43,899 participants were included in the meta-analysis. The results showed that stroke recurrence risk of all stroke patients with diabetes was significantly higher than those without diabetes (HR, 1.45; 95% CI, 1.32-1.59), similar results were achieved in ischemic stroke patients (HR, 1.44; 95% CI, 1.28-1.61), and there were no regional differences (Europe: HR, 1.28; 95% CI, 1.13-1.44; USA: HR, 1.89; 95% CI, 1.53-2.33; Asia: HR, 1.57, 95% CI, 1.28-1.92, respectively) and age differences (mean age <70 years: HR, 1.58; 95% CI, 1.34-1.86; mean age ≥70 years: HR, 1.27; 95% CI, 1.11-1.45, respectively). The heterogeneity of all included studies was not statistically significant, and no publication bias was observed.

This meta-analysis shows that diabetes is an independent risk factor for stroke recurrence in stroke patients.