Stroke survivors can considerably decrease their threat of one other stroke, a coronary heart assault or untimely loss of life by taking a diabetes drug like Ozempic or Jardiance, new preliminary analysis finds.
“Sadly, 1 / 4 of people that survive a stroke can have one other stroke,” mentioned lead examine writer Dr. M. Ali Sheffeh. “They’re additionally in danger for different cardiovascular occasions corresponding to a coronary heart assault since most of the threat elements of a stroke are additionally related to different types of coronary heart illness.”
A stroke occurs when blood circulate to the mind is blocked or when a blood vessel ruptures, leaking blood into the mind. Danger elements embody hypertension, elevated ldl cholesterol, excessive blood sugar and weight problems.
Stroke was the fourth main reason for loss of life within the US final yr, accounting for 162,600 deaths, in line with preliminary knowledge.
Sheffeh’s group reviewed data for greater than 7,000 aged adults who skilled a clot-caused stroke between 2000 and 2022. Practically all of the sufferers had Kind 2 diabetes.
Over three years, researchers tracked those that have been prescribed both a GLP-1 drug like Ozempic or an SGLT2 treatment like Jardiance after their preliminary stroke to see if they’d a second stroke, suffered a coronary heart assault, or died.
GLP-1 medicine deal with diabetes and stimulate weight reduction by mimicking he naturally occurring hormone GLP-1, which indicators the physique that it’s full.
SGLT2 inhibitor drugs assist handle blood sugar ranges by stopping the kidneys from reabsorbing sugar.
The researchers discovered that those that took both drug had a 74% decrease threat of early loss of life and an 84% decreased threat of a coronary heart assault. SGLT2 customers had a 67% decreased threat of one other stroke.
“The outcomes of the examine are in line with different analysis in regards to the preventive position of those drugs towards heart problems in folks with weight problems or coronary heart failure,” mentioned Sheffeh, a analysis scholar on the Mayo Clinic.
The examine authors notice that GLP-1 medicine have been proven to decrease blood strain and assist stop the hardening of arteries, a significant threat issue for strokes.
“GLP-1 [drugs] can really lower clumping of blood platelets, and that, in itself, might lower the danger of clotting and result in a decrease threat of stroke,” mentioned Dr. Cheryl Bushnell, professor and vice chair of analysis within the division of neurology at Wake Forest College Faculty of Drugs.
“These drugs may very well be actually necessary,” Bushnell added.
The analysis, which has not been peer-reviewed, is because of be offered this month at an American Coronary heart Affiliation convention in Chicago.
The examine authors acknowledge that 94% of the individuals establish as white adults and most reside in Minnesota or Wisconsin, so it’s unclear if these outcomes translate to extra various populations.
