Aims: The main objective was to determine premature stroke risk in men and women in Sweden with previous hospital admission for Type 1 diabetes or without previous hospital admission.
Methods: All individuals in Sweden aged 15-34 years at first hospital admission for Type 1 diabetes and aged 15-49 years at first hospital admission for stroke during the study period (1987-2001) were identified. Standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) were calculated to compare premature stroke risk between individuals admitted to hospital with Type 1 diabetes and individuals without hospital admission, after controlling for age, time period, occupation and geographical region. SIRs were also calculated for individuals with diabetic complications.
Results: The overall SIRs for premature stroke in men and women with hospital admission for Type 1 diabetes were 17.94 [95% confidence interval (CI) 12.87, 24.36] and 26.11 (95% CI 18.81, 35.32), respectively. Men and women with diabetic nephropathy had the highest significant SIRs of premature stroke: 48.87 and 73.53, respectively.
Conclusions: Our data indicate that young to middle-aged individuals with Type 1 diabetes had a considerably higher risk of premature stroke than those without Type 1 diabetes. This underscores the need to implement vigorous interventions in healthcare settings in order to decrease the risk of premature stroke in individuals with Type 1 diabetes.