Diabetes Distilled: Intensive intervention reduces stroke risk in diabetes with microalbuminuria

By Colin Kenny, Editor – Diabetes Distilled

Data from the Steno-2 Study were analysed to assess whether multiple risk factor intervention reduced the chance of stroke in individuals with type 2 diabetes and microalbuminuria. Participants were randomly allocated to intensified or conventional multifactorial intervention targeting classical cardiovascular disease risk factors. Post hoc analysis showed that the risk of stroke and number of recurrent cerebrovascular events were reduced with intensified multiple risk factor intervention in patients with type 2 diabetes and microalbuminuria.

Stroke events are more common in individuals with diabetes. Investigators examined data from the Steno-2 Study to examine the difference in time to first stroke event between the intensive and conventional treatment groups.

A total of 160 participants with type 2 diabetes and microalbuminuria randomised to conventional or intensified multiple risk factor intervention targeting several concomitant risk factors were followed up for 22.2 years. Thirty participants had experienced a total of 39 stroke events during this period. Individuals that had received conventional therapy were more likely to experience this outcome.

The investigators concluded that the hazard for first stroke after randomisation was reduced by 69% and the absolute risk by 15% with intensive therapy versus conventional treatment. Similarly, individuals originally randomised to conventional treatment were significantly more likely to have recurrent strokes than those allocated to intensified therapy.

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