Diabetes Mellitus as a risk factor for stroke among Nigerians: A systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Diabetes mellitus is one of the modifiable risk factors for stroke. Stroke is common in Nigeria, but there is a paucity of national data on the frequency of diabetes in stroke. This study aimed to estimate to what extent diabetes a risk factor for stroke in Nigeria. METHODS: The study design is a systematic review, and the PRISMA guidelines were strictly followed. African Journal Online (AJOL), PubMed, SCOPUS and Google Scholar were systematically searched. The Newcastle-Ottawa scale was used to assess the quality, heterogeneity was determined with the I(2) statistic, and the DerSimonian Laird random effect model was selected for the meta-analysis. RESULTS: The studies were distributed across different regions of the country. The total sample size was 9397. The weighted average age of the patients with stroke was 53.7 years. The attributable risk of diabetes in stroke, among Nigerian patients, was 0.20 (95% CI: 0.17–0.22; p < 0.0001). The attributable risk has been rising steadily since the advent of the new century, and it is relatively higher in southern Nigeria. CONCLUSION: The attributable risk of diabetes in stroke, among Nigerian patients is high. This varies across the regions but it is rising progressively nationally.