People with Diabetes Have Higher Risk of Getting Stroke

Diabetes impacts the body's ability to create insulin or use it properly. Since insulin plays an important role in pulling glucose into blood cells, people with diabetes are often left with too much sugar in their blood. When blood flow to your brain stops for any reason or a moment should be wasted in providing him or her required medical attention can lead to permanent disablement or even death. While there are various causes of stroke but, diabetes is one of the well-established risk factors.

Any medical emergency tends to create a lot of stress. However, it is essential to approach the situation calmly to make clear decisions. One should also be financially prepared to deal with it by investing in health insurance plans.

Health experts warn that the risks of stroke are higher in people with diabetes than those not having the sugar disease.

Here are more details about the link between Diabetes and Stroke.

What is a Stroke?

Stroke is a medical condition that occurs when the blood supply to the brain is interrupted, thus causing a lack of oxygen supply. The cells in the brain begin to get damaged within minutes.

Some of the symptoms of a stroke are:

• Trouble speaking
• Difficulty in understanding speech
• Slurred speech
• Difficulty in swallowing
• Paralysis or numbness of the face, arms or legs
• Vision problems
• Sudden headache
• Dizziness
• Confusion
• Losing coordination or balance
• Difficulty in walking

How Does Diabetes Cause Stroke?

People with severe diabetes have unusually high levels of blood sugar. This can damage blood vessels and nerves in the body to a great extent. If the condition is not brought under control, the risk of stroke increases.

For people having type-2 diabetes, the pancreas does not produce enough insulin for glucose present in their body. Thus, their blood sugar levels remain high and lead to increased fat deposits or clotting of blood in the blood vessel walls. The clots or deposits could totally block the vessels and subsequently the blood supply in the brain tissues or neck. Hence, as oxygen level decreases, it leads to stroke.

For diabetic patients, the risks enormously increase in the presence of other factors such as:

• High Blood Pressure
• Heart Disease or family medical history
• Excess body weight
• Smoking
• Old age

Treatment for Stroke

The diagnosis of stroke is the first step before treatment. A visit to the doctor is necessary to confirm if it is a case of stroke based on the symptoms described by the patient. The doctor may conduct a physical examination to test the person’s abilities of balance, coordination, blood pressure, etc. and recommend blood tests.

After the medical evaluation, the necessary medications should be started immediately. In rare cases when that does not work, surgery may be needed to remove blood clots and plaques from arteries.

Physiotherapy and rehabilitation are also crucial to help a stroke patient recover quickly. Some treatment methods include speech therapy, cognitive therapy and physical therapy to improve their muscle strength.

How to Reduce Risk of Stroke?

• Maintaining blood sugar levels through constant monitoring and preventive medicines
• Checking blood pressure regularly; controlling high blood pressure with a healthy, low-sodium diet
• Minimize cholesterol levels through reducing intake saturated or trans fats
• Avoiding smoking and consumption of alcohol/ tobacco
• Maintaining ideal body weight with a nutritious diet and regular exercise
• Making necessary changes in lifestyle and practicing stress management like yoga, deep breathing, etc.
• Increasing intake of fruits and vegetables in the diet
• Addressing sleep disorders like sleep apnea
• Increasing moderate-intensity physical activity like walking or jogging

Complications arising from high sugar levels can lead to hospitalisation emergency. Save your finances from such an impact by choosing ‘Care Freedom’ which is health insurance for diabetes by Care Health Insurance (Formerly Religare Health Insurance).

Disclaimer: The above information is only for reference purposes. Underwriting of claims for Diabetes/Stroke is subject to policy terms and conditions.