Proteinuria as a risk factor for stroke in type 2 diabetes mellitus

ABSTRACT

The study was designed to assess the relation between proteinuria and stroke in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. The study was conducted on two groups; Group I included 60 patients with type 2 DM with ischemic stroke, group II included 60 patients with type 2 DM without stroke. Both groups were matched by age, sex, body mass index and duration of diabetes. The study was performed at Al-Azhar University Hospitals from May 2005 to January 2006. The patients were evaluated clinically using Glasgow Coma Scale [GCS] for comatose patients and Canadian Neurological Scale [CNS] for conscious patients. Routine laboratory investigations as well as 24 hours urine protein were measured for both groups. CT scans were performed to all patients of group I within two days and after one week from the onset of stroke to determined site, depth and size of infarction. Systolic and diastolic blood pressures, prevalence of smoking and 24 hours proteinuria were significantly higher in group I than group II. On the other hand no significant changes were found on duration of DM, fasting and postprandial blood sugar, total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, HbAlc, age and gender between two groups. In group I 38 patients were found to have proteinuria 38/60 [63%] versus 16 patients 16/60 [26.7%] had proteinuria in-group II, which was statistically significant. HDL-cholesterol only was significantly lower in-patients with proteinuria than those without proteinuria in-group I [p<0.01]. On the other hand no significant correlations were found between proteinuria and severity of strokes and CT findings. In multivariate logistic regression analysis, the ORs and 95% CLs for the variables identified as risk factors for stroke were as follow; SBP [OR 14.5, 95% CL 2.5-13.9], DBP [OR 13.1, 95% CL 2.4-15.9], proteinuria [OR 7.6, 95% CL 2.5-22.9], HDL cholesterol [OR 5.5,95% CL 2.1-23.5] and smoking [OR 4.89, 95% CL 1. 7-22.3]. Our results give evidence that proteinuria is an independent risk factor for ischemic stroke in patients with type 2 DM. Further support from additional prospective studies is recommended to confirm these findings: