Diabetes Mellitus, Ischemic Stroke, and Intracardiac Nervous Cell Histological Alterations: A Clinical and Morphological Analysis

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease and ischemic stroke, and its chronic metabolic dysregulation frequently leads to autonomic nervous system complications. Among these, cardiac autonomic neuropathy (CAN) represents a serious microvascular complication that affects cardiac nerve fibers and may alter intracardiac neural structure. This study aims to elucidate histopathological changes in intracardiac nerves in diabetic patients with a history of ischemic stroke. Immunohistochemical post‑mortem analyses and retrospective clinical correlations were reviewed. Findings indicate neuropathic remodeling, altered neural density, and inflammatory changes in diabetic hearts, suggesting that hyperglycemia‑associated autonomic dysfunction and post‑ischemic systemic inflammation contribute to structural neural alterations. Understanding these histological changes helps clarify the pathogenesis of diabetic cardiac complications and may guide early diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.