A person’s blood type may be linked to their risk of having a stroke before age 60, according to a large meta-analysis by the University of Maryland School of Medicine. The new study shows that people who have an early stroke are slightly more likely to have type A blood and less likely to have type O, the most common blood type.
The research was published yesterday in the journal Neurology. In fact, it is said that the risk of early stroke in people with type A blood is not significantly higher than others and cannot be a cause for great concern. But the researchers hope their work could one day be used to help prevent strokes in young adults.
“This study raises an important question that warrants deeper investigation into how our genetically predisposed blood type may play a role in early stroke risk,” said Mark T. Gladwin and Professor and Dean Akiko K. Bowers of the University of Maryland School of Medicine. He added: “It points to the urgent need to find new ways to prevent these potentially devastating events in young adults.”
The team conducted a meta-analysis of 48 previous studies on genetics and ischemic stroke in people aged 18 to 59 years, and these data included a total of 17,000 stroke patients and approximately 600,000 healthy people who had never had a stroke. The dataset included people from North America, Europe, Japan, Pakistan, and Australia.
When they looked at the genetic variations linked to a higher risk of early stroke, they found some of the strongest links in genes that determine blood type. After adjusting for gender and other factors that may affect the risk, it was determined that people with blood type A had an 18 percent higher risk of having an early stroke than people with other blood types, and people with type O blood were 12 percent lower.
How are blood groups separated?
In a simplified way, there are four main blood types – A, B, AB and O – and the two antigens present in the blood – A and B – determine a person’s blood type: A blood group A, B blood group B, AB blood group both He also has blood group O and neither.
The nature of this link between early strokes and type A blood type is not yet fully understood, the researchers say. However, they suspect that its effects on ischemic strokes caused by the blockage of blood flow to the brain may have something to do with the development of blood clots.
This is because other studies have shown that people with blood types A and B may have a higher risk of developing dangerous blood clots compared to people with blood type O.
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