Jiang B. Confronting a twin epidemic: The urgent need to address inequities in comorbid diabetes and stroke mortality. World J Neurol 2026; 12(1): 114556 [DOI: 10.5316/wjn.v12.i1.114556]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Bin Jiang, MD, Professor, Senior Research Fellow, Department of Neuroepidemiology, Beijing Neurosurgical Institute, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, No. 119 South Fourth Ring Road West, Fengtai District, Beijing 100070, China. bjyjiang@hotmail.com
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Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
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editorial
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Jiang B. Confronting a twin epidemic: The urgent need to address inequities in comorbid diabetes and stroke mortality. World J Neurol 2026; 12(1): 114556 [DOI: 10.5316/wjn.v12.i1.114556]
World J Neurol. Sep 22, 2026; 12(1): 114556 Published online Sep 22, 2026. doi: 10.5316/wjn.v12.i1.114556
Confronting a twin epidemic: The urgent need to address inequities in comorbid diabetes and stroke mortality
Bin Jiang
Bin Jiang, Department of Neuroepidemiology, Beijing Neurosurgical Institute, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, Beijing 100070, China
Author contributions: Jiang B completed all the work for this manuscript independently.
AI contribution statement: DeepSeek R1 was used as an auxiliary tool in manuscript preparation. The author fully checked and revised the content to avoid AI errors, taking full responsibility for the final manuscript. DeepSeek R1 did not participate in study design, data analysis or result interpretation. No AI-generated images are involved in this editorial.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The author declares that he has no conflict of interest to disclose.
Corresponding author: Bin Jiang, MD, Professor, Senior Research Fellow, Department of Neuroepidemiology, Beijing Neurosurgical Institute, Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, No. 119 South Fourth Ring Road West, Fengtai District, Beijing 100070, China. bjyjiang@hotmail.com
Received: September 23, 2025 Revised: November 27, 2025 Accepted: January 9, 2026 Published online: September 22, 2026 Processing time: 362 Days and 19.2 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: Recent United States data indicate an alarming reversal in mortality trends from comorbid diabetes and stroke after 2014, ending a period of previous improvement. This rising mortality is not distributed equally; it exposes profound and worsening disparities across race, ethnicity, geography, and rurality. Systemic inequities in healthcare access, driven by factors like linguistic barriers, poverty, and inadequate rural infrastructure, are the root cause of these divergent outcomes. Addressing this crisis requires moving beyond a one-size-fits-all approach to implement targeted, culturally competent interventions and policies. Urgent investment in rural telehealth, expansion of Medicaid, and strategies that address the social determinants of health are essential to curb this twin epidemic.
