Diabetic men show more brain plaque than their female counterparts

Vessel wall MRI shows that men with type 2 diabetes carry more brain plaque burden than their female counterparts, according to study results presented November 28 at the RSNA 2023 meeting.The findings also indicated that women with the disease undergoing hypoglycemic drug treatment for it showed significantly reduced brain plaque compared to their male counterparts, said presenter Xuejiao Yan, MD, of Shaanxi Provincial People’s Hospital in Xi'an, China."The total and proximal burden of intracranial atherosclerotic plaque in male patients with type 2 diabetes with acute cerebrovascular disease were significantly higher than those in female patients," Yan told session attendees.Previous research has shown that there are sex differences in the prevalence of type 2 diabetes and its associated diseases such as atherosclerosis and stroke. Yan's group sought to explore any plaque burden differences by sex in patients with type 2 diabetes and acute cerebral ischemia.The team conducted a study that included 73 patients with type 2 diabetes who experienced acute cerebral stroke or transient ischemic attack due to brain arteries narrowed by plaque; these patients underwent vessel wall MRI exams between August 2017 and February 2023. Individuals in the study had A1c values equal to or higher than 6.5% and/or a fasting blood glucose level equal to or higher than 126 mg/dL (7 mmol/L). To estimate plaque burden, the investigators measured proximal and distal plaques of the middle cerebra...
Source: AuntMinnie.com Headlines - Category: Radiology Authors: Tags: RSNA 2023 MRI Source Type: news