High blood sugar 'increases bleeding in stroke'
Tuesday 25th January 2011
Individuals with diabetes suffer more damage during a stroke than others as high blood sugar is linked to bleeding over a larger area of the brain, according to scientists.
Research published in Nature Medicine found a protein that increased bleeding when blood sugar levels were elevated - which is the case in more than half of people who suffer haemorrhagic strokes.
In addition, the haemorrhages were also seen to be more extensive, covering a larger part of the brain and subsequently, increasing the risk of death.
Dr Edward Feener, who led the study said that the findings could have broad implications when treating strokes as half of patients who experience acute hemorrhagic stroke have hyperglycemia, regardless of whether they already had diabetes.
"Given the prevalence of strokes and the damage they inflict, these findings are exciting because they suggest the possibility that rapid control of blood sugar levels may provide an opportunity to reduce intracerebral hemorrhage," he said.
This follows news that cooling the brain could reduce the risk of brain damage after a stroke, giving doctors more time to work on the injury.
Written by Angela Newbury
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