Study Shows Stroke Risk Decreases With Age For Patients With Hypertension And Diabetes

Discover how age impacts stroke risk for patients with hypertension and diabetes. Learn why managing risk factors is crucial for younger vs. older patients.

Quick Summary

• Study finds the association between hypertension, diabetes, and stroke may decrease with age.
• In older patients, the magnitude of the association for stroke was significantly less for diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease.
• No age-related difference was observed in the association for smoking, atrial fibrillation, or left ventricular hypertrophy.
• Managing risk factors for stroke, such as high blood pressure and diabetes, is crucial for younger patients.
• For older patients, managing risk factors such as atrial fibrillation, smoking, and left ventricular hypertrophy may be more important.
• Doctors should consider age-related differences in stroke risk factors to ensure appropriate treatment and management.

A recent study published in Neurology has found that the association between hypertension and diabetes with stroke may decrease with age.

The magnitude of the association for stroke was significantly less in older patients with diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease, while no age-related difference was observed in the association for smoking, atrial fibrillation, or left ventricular hypertrophy.

Managing Risk Factors For Stroke As People Age

The lead investigator of the study, George Howard, a professor of biostatistics at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Public Health, highlights the importance of managing risk factors, such as atrial fibrillation, smoking, and left ventricular hypertrophy, as people age.

He explains that:

“determining whether a person is at high risk for stroke may differ depending on their age.”

Study Participants And Methodology

The study included 28,235 stroke-free patients, with 41% Black and 59% White, and took place between 2003 and 2007.

Patients were followed for an average of 11 years for incident stroke.

Stroke risk factors were assessed by proportional hazards analysis, based on participant baseline age, while Poisson regression analysis assessed associations for participant age change during follow-up.

The study compared three age groups: the younger group of patients included ages between 45 and 69, the middle group had ages between late 60s and 70s, and the older group had patients 74 years and older.

The Findings Of The Study

During the median follow-up of 11 years, the researchers observed 1,405 ischemic strokes among the participants, with a total of 276,074 person-years exposure.

Patients with diabetes in the younger age group were approximately twice at risk of stroke as patients of similar age without diabetes.

However, patients with diabetes in the older age group had a 30% higher risk for stroke in comparison with patients of similar older age without diabetes.

Additionally, the younger age group with high blood pressure had an 80% higher stroke risk than patients of similar age without high blood pressure.

Stroke risk decreased to 50% for patients with high blood pressure in the older age group compared with patients of similar age without high blood pressure.

Managing Risk Factors For Stroke

The researchers estimated that approximately 2.0% of patients without high blood pressure had a stroke, compared with 3.6% of patients with high blood pressure in the younger age group.

The researchers also estimated that 6.2% of patients with normal blood pressure had a stroke, compared with 9.3% of patients with high blood pressure in the older age group.

The study emphasizes that managing risk factors, such as high blood pressure and diabetes, are crucial in decreasing the risk of stroke in younger patients, while managing risk factors such as atrial fibrillation, smoking, and left ventricular hypertrophy may be more important for older patients.

Conclusion

The study provides important insights into the age-related differences in stroke risk for patients with hypertension and diabetes.

Managing risk factors for stroke, such as high blood pressure and diabetes, is crucial in decreasing the risk of stroke in younger patients, while managing other risk factors such as atrial fibrillation, smoking, and left ventricular hypertrophy may be more important for older patients.

Doctors must take into account the differences in risk factors depending on the age of their patients to ensure they receive the appropriate treatment to manage their risk of stroke.