Control Diabetes - Preventing Stroke: Stroke
Content provided by the Faculty of the Harvard Medical School
Control diabetes
If you have diabetes, your odds of having an ischemic stroke are several times greater than those of people without the disease. Diabetes increases the tendency of the blood to form clots, which can dam up the arteries. High blood sugar, the hallmark of diabetes, promotes the development of peripheral artery disease, which can cause blockages in the arteries leading to the brain.
Keeping your blood pressure and cholesterol in control can reduce your risk. Keeping glucose levels within normal limits can lower the risk of stroke in people with type 1 diabetes. It is unclear whether glucose control also reduces the risk of stroke in people with type 2 diabetes, but it can help prevent damage to the small blood vessels in people with this form of diabetes who have had an ischemic stroke or a TIA.
| Last updated: | September 05, 2008 |
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Medical content reviewed by the Faculty of the Harvard Medical School. Harvard Health Publications, Copyright © 2007 by President and Fellows of Harvard College. All rights reserved. Used with permission of StayWell.
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