Stroke survivors can significantly lower their risk of another stroke, heart attack, or premature death by taking diabetes medications such as Ozempic or Jardiance. What a new preliminary investigation revealed.
“Unfortunately, one in four people who survive a stroke will have another stroke,” said study lead author Dr. M. Ali Shehu. “Many of the risk factors for stroke are also associated with other heart diseases, so you’re also at risk for other cardiovascular events, such as a heart attack.”
A stroke occurs when blood flow to the brain is blocked or when a blood vessel ruptures and blood leaks into the brain. Risk factors include high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, high blood sugar, and obesity.
Stroke was the fourth leading cause of death in the United States last year, killing 162,600 people. According to preliminary data.
Scheffe’s team examined the records of more than 7,000 elderly people who had suffered a stroke caused by a blood clot between 2000 and 2022. Almost all patients had type 2 diabetes.
Over a three-year period, researchers followed patients who were prescribed either a GLP-1 drug such as Ozempic or an SGLT2 drug such as Jardiance after their first stroke to see if they had a second stroke or a heart attack. I investigated whether he died or not.
GLP-1 drugs treat diabetes and promote weight loss by mimicking the natural hormone GLP-1, which tells the body that it’s full.
SGLT2 inhibitors prevent the kidneys from reabsorbing sugar and help manage blood sugar levels.
Researchers found that people who took either drug had a 74% lower risk of premature death and an 84% lower risk of heart attack. SGLT2 users had a 67% reduced risk of having another stroke.
“The results of this study are consistent with other studies on the preventive role of these drugs against cardiovascular disease in patients with obesity and heart failure,” said Mayo Clinic researcher Scheffe.
Study authors note that GLP-1 drugs have been shown to have the following effects: lower blood pressure helps prevent arteriosclerosisis a major risk factor for stroke.
“GLP-1″ [drugs] It can actually reduce platelet aggregation, which itself reduces the risk of clotting and may lead to a lower risk of stroke,” said Dr. Cheryl Bushnell, professor and associate director of research in the Department of Neurology at Wake Forest University. said. University School of Medicine.
“These drugs could be very important,” Bushnell added.
The study has not been peer-reviewed but is scheduled to be presented this month at the American Heart Association. Conference in Chicago.
The study authors note that 94% of participants identified as white adults, and most admitted to living in Minnesota or Wisconsin, so the results apply to a more diverse population. It is unclear whether
