Like a well-tailored exercise routine and proper medication for diabetes, physical activity and hypoglycemic therapy help protect individuals from experiencing another stroke. In a study investigating the determinants of stroke recurrence in patients with comorbid type 2 diabetes (T2DM), researchers found that higher pulse rate at admission, lack of physical activity, and not receiving hypoglycemic therapy during follow-up increased the risk of stroke relapse. The study followed a group of stroke patients with T2DM for 36 months, observing 84 cases of recurrence and comparing them to 613 control patients without relapse. The findings revealed that baseline factors such as higher pulse rate and presence of hypertension were associated with a higher risk of recurrence. Additionally, lower physical activity levels and a higher proportion of hypoglycemic therapy contributed to the likelihood of stroke relapse. A prediction model was developed using baseline pulse rate, hypoglycemic therapy, and physical activity, producing a moderate level of accuracy in predicting stroke recurrence. These results indicate that incorporating regular exercise and appropriate medication into everyday life can help delay the progression of ischemic stroke in patients with T2DM. For more information and to delve deeper into the research, check out the full article!

BackgroundStroke patients have to face a high risk of recurrence, especially for those with comorbid T2DM, which usually lead to much more serious neurologic damage and an increased likelihood of death. This study aimed to explore determinants of stroke relapse among patients with comorbid T2DM.Materials and methodsWe conducted this case-control study nested a prospective cohort of ischemic stroke (IS) with comorbid T2DM. During 36-month follow-up, the second stroke occurred in 84 diabetic IS patients who were allocated into the case group, while 613 patients without recurrence were the controls. We collected the demographic data, behaviors and habits, therapies, and family history at baseline, and measured the variables during follow-up. LASSO and Logistic regression analyses were carried out to develop a prediction model of stroke recurrence. The receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve was employed to evaluate the performance of the prediction model.ResultsCompared to participants without recurrence, the higher levels of pulse rate (78.29 ± 12.79 vs. 74.88 ± 10.93) and hypertension (72.6 vs. 61.2%) were recorded at baseline. Moreover, a lower level of physical activity (77.4 vs. 90.4%), as well as a higher proportion of hypoglycemic therapy (36.9 vs. 23.3%) was also observed during 36-month follow-up. Multivariate logistic regression revealed that higher pulse rate at admission (OR = 1.027, 95 %CI = 1.005–1.049), lacking physical activity (OR = 2.838, 95% CI = 1.418–5.620) and not receiving hypoglycemic therapy (OR = 1.697, 95% CI = 1.013–2.843) during follow-up increased the risk of stroke recurrence. We developed a prediction model using baseline pulse rate, hypoglycemic therapy, and physical activity, which produced an area under ROC curve (AUC) of 0.689.ConclusionPhysical activity and hypoglycemic therapy play a protective role for IS patients with comorbid diabetes. In addition to targeted therapeutics, the improvement of daily-life habit contributes to slowing the progress of the IS.

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