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Website: stroke.org.uk
If you are experiencing any of the symptoms Measuring your waist is a quick way of
we’ve listed, talk to your GP. If diabetes is assessing your risk of type 2 diabetes.
not treated or controlled well, it can lead to You are at a higher risk if your waist
serious health problems including loss of measures more than:
vision and kidney failure. •• 31.5 inches (80cm) for women
•• 35 inches (89cm) for South Asian men
What is the link between •• 37 inches (94cm) for all other men.
diabetes and stroke?
Diabetes almost doubles your risk of •• Age. If you are over 40 (or 25 if you’re
having a stroke and is a contributing factor South Asian) you are more likely to
in 20% of strokes in England, Wales and develop type 2 diabetes.
Northern Ireland.
•• Gestational diabetes. You are more likely
This is because high levels of glucose in to develop diabetes if you have had this
your blood can damage your blood vessels, whilst you were pregnant.
making them harder and narrower and more
likely to become blocked. If this happens in
a blood vessel leading to your brain it could Diagnosis and treatment
cause a stroke.
Diagnosis
Diabetes cannot be cured, but there are
Am I at risk of developing treatments that can help to keep your blood
diabetes? glucose levels as normal as possible. This
will help control any symptoms you are
Although anyone can develop diabetes, experiencing and to prevent any long-term
there are some groups of people who are at complications.
more risk than others. Some of the main risk
factors for developing type 2 diabetes are: Diabetes is diagnosed with a special blood
test. Your doctor will normally tell you what
•• A family history of diabetes, particularly your blood glucose level is and what level it
if a close relative such as a parent, brother should be.
or sister has the condition.
If you are diagnosed with diabetes, you will
•• Your ethnicity. In the UK, type 2 diabetes work with a team of health professionals
is more common in people of South who will help you manage your condition.
Asian, Chinese, black-African and black- This team will usually include your GP, as
Caribbean backgrounds. well as a diabetes specialist nurse and a
dietitian.
•• Being overweight or obese, especially if
you carry your extra weight around your
waist. Being overweight reduces your
body’s ability to respond to insulin.
There may be other specialists that you have There are many different types of
to see. These could include: an eye specialist medication available and your care team
such as an ophthalmologist or optometrist will work with you to find the best one for
to check for any damage to your eyes; a you. We’ve explained some of the different
podiatrist (chiropodist) to check for any groups of medicines that are available below,
problems with your feet; or a consultant who although your tablets may have a different
specialises in diabetes. brand name to the ones we’ve given,
depending on who manufactures them.
It’s important that you receive support
and information to help you manage your •• Biguanide
diabetes well. Everyone in the UK who has This type of medicine helps to lower
diabetes should be offered a free diabetes your blood sugar levels by reducing
education course. These give you the the amount of glucose that your liver
chance to learn more about your condition produces. It also helps your body to
and how to manage it, ask questions and respond better to the insulin that it
meet other people with diabetes. produces. There is only one type of
biguanide medication, called metformin.
If you haven’t been offered a course, or if you
think you’d benefit from a refresher, make •• Sulfonylureas
sure you ask your GP or someone in your This type of drug works by helping your
care team about courses that are available in pancreas to produce more insulin. It also
your area. helps your body to use insulin more ef-
ficiently. There are a number of different
Diet and exercise sulphonylureas including glibenclamide,
Sometimes the early stages of type 2 gliclazide and glipizide.
diabetes can be controlled through healthy
eating and regular exercise, so you may •• Alpha glucosidase inhibitors
not need to take medication. Your doctor or This type of drug works by slowing down
someone else in your care team should talk the way starchy foods are absorbed by
to you about the changes you need to make your intestines. This means that your
and how you can make them. blood glucose levels will rise more slowly
after you’ve eaten. There is only one
Medication medicine in this group, called acarbose.
Sometimes diet and exercise alone aren’t
enough to manage diabetes. If your •• Prandial glucose regulators
blood sugar levels are high, you may need These drugs stimulate your pancreas
medication to help control it, but it’s still to make more insulin. Examples include
important that you eat a healthy diet and get repaglinide and nateglinide.
enough exercise.
•• Thiazolidinediones Your care team will talk to you about the type
These drugs are sometimes called of insulin that they think is best for you. They
glitazones. They help your body to will also teach you how to inject yourself and
respond more efficiently to the insulin it help you with any concerns you may have.
produces. There is only one medicine in
this group, called pioglitazone. As with all medication, some people may
experience side effects. Talk to your
•• Incretin mimetics GP or someone in your care team if you
This type of medicine is given by are experiencing any side effects from
injection. It works by increasing the your medication, as there are may be a
amount of hormones called incretins in different medicine that you could try.
your body. These hormones help your
body to only produce glucose when it’s
needed. Examples include exenatide and Long-term care and support
liraglutide.
If you have diabetes it is important to
•• DPP-4 inhibitors have regular check-ups to make sure that
These drugs are also known as gliptins. you’re staying healthy and to avoid any
They increase the levels of incretins in complications.
your body by blocking an enzyme called
DPP-4, which destroys them. Examples Everyone with diabetes is supposed to
include sitagliptin, vildagliptin and have a full diabetes check at least once a
saxagliptin. year. This is known as your annual diabetes
review. There are nine checks that you
•• SGLT2 inhibitors should receive every year, to make sure
This is a new type of drug. It works by that your condition is being managed well.
reducing the amount of glucose that’s
absorbed by your kidneys, so more is 1. Blood glucose test
passed out of your body through your Your blood glucose level needs to be
urine. It also helps to reduce the amount checked at least once a year. An HbA1c
of glucose in your blood. It’s usually used blood test will measure your blood glucose
with other medicines. Examples of this and help you and your care team decide
type of drug include dapagliflozin and whether there are any changes you need
canagliflozin. to make to your diet or medication to make
sure that your levels stay healthy.
•• Insulin injections
People with type 1 diabetes, and some If you’re on insulin, you may be given a
people with type 2 diabetes, need insulin device that will help you monitor your own
injections every day to manage their glucose levels at home. Someone in your
blood glucose levels. There are different care team will show you how to do this.
types of insulin treatments available.
Some are just injected once a day, others
need to be injected several times a day
before meals.
© Stroke Association
Factsheet 15, version 1.1
Published July 2015.
Next review July 2016.
Item code: A01F15
Stroke Association is a Company Limited by Guarantee, registered in England and Wales (No 61274).
Registered office: Stroke Association House, 240 City Road, London EC1V 2PR. Registered as a Charity in England and Wales (No 211015)
and in Scotland (SC037789). Also registered in Northern Ireland (XT33805) Isle of Man (No 945) and Jersey (NPO 369).