by Colin Kenny, GP, Dromore
To see if sex differences really exist for stroke in people with diabetes, researchers analysed data from 64 cohort studies, including 775,385 individuals and 12,539 fatal and non-fatal stroke events. The relative risk of any stroke associated with diabetes was 2.28 in women and 1.83 in men. The risk of fatal stroke was also higher in women than men.
The analysts conclude that their study not only provided convincing evidence that women with diabetes have a higher risk of stroke than their male counterparts but also confirmed previous findings that women with diabetes have poorer survival after stroke than men.
Like all meta-analyses of this type it leaves a research question, specifically on why this difference exists. The researchers point to some factors specific to women, such as pregnancy, pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes, use of oral contraceptives and use of hormone treatments, that are associated with increased risk of stroke. However, these are probably insufficient to completely explain this sex difference in stroke incidence.
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