Stroke Free-survival Time among Patients with Diabetes Mellitus at Ban Thaen Hospital, Ban Thaen District, Chaiyaphum Province, 2011–2025

Abstract

Background and objective:  According to a 2021 report by the World Health Organization, stroke was the third leading  cause  of  death  and  disability  worldwide.  Diabetes  mellitus  is  a  major  risk  factor  for  stroke  because  chronic hyperglycemia leads to vascular dysfunction. This study aimed to investigate stroke free-survival time among patients with diabetes mellitus at Ban Thaen Hospital, Ban Thaen District, Chaiyaphum Province, during the years 2011–2025.

Methods:  A descriptive retrospective cohort study was conducted among 2,677 patients using medical records of diabetic patients from Ban Thaen Hospital, Ban Thaen District, Chaiyaphum Province (2011–2021). All patients were followed until the final status of first stroke occurrence was identified up to December 31, 2025. Stroke free-survival time was analyzed using the Kaplan–Meier method. The 95% confidence intervals were presented.

Results:  A total of 180 diabetic patients developed a first stroke, corresponding to an incidence rate of 0.77 per 100 person-years (95% CI: 0.66–0.89). The stroke free-survival time probabilities at 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, and 13 years were 98.43% (95% CI: 97.88–98.84), 97.27% (95% CI: 96.58–97.83), 95.93% (95% CI: 95.10–96.62), 94.68% (95% CI: 93.72–95.49), 93.37% (95% CI: 92.26–94.33), 92.10% (95% CI: 90.79–93.23), and 91.23% (95% CI: 89.72–92.52), respectively.

Conclusions:  The  stroke-free  survival  time  among  patients  with  diabetes  decreases  over  time.  Therefore,  healthcare professionals and public health personnel should be aware of and consider the underlying causes. Further studies should be conducted to evaluate factors associated with stroke-free survival time.