Title:Cerebrovascular Complications of Diabetes: Focus on Stroke
Volume: 12
Issue: 2
Author(s): Adviye Ergul, Aisha Kelly-Cobbs, Maha Abdalla and Susan C. Fagan
Affiliation:
Keywords:
Cerebral vasculature, diabetes, hemorrhage, ischemia, stroke, targets
Abstract: Cerebrovascular complications make diabetic patients 2-6 times more susceptible to a stroke event and this risk
is magnified in younger individuals and in patients with hypertension and complications in other vascular beds. In
addition, when patients with diabetes and hyperglycemia experience an acute ischemic stroke they are more likely to die
or be severely disabled and less likely to benefit from the one FDA-approved therapy, intravenous tissue plasminogen
activator. Experimental stroke models have revealed that chronic hyperglycemia leads to deficits in cerebrovascular
structure and function that may explain some of the clinical observations. Increased edema, neovascularization and
protease expression as well as altered vascular reactivity and tone may be involved and point to potential therapeutic
targets. Further study is needed to fully understand this complex disease state and the breadth of its manifestation in the
cerebrovasculature.
