Researchers have discovered that people with type A blood may be more likely than people with other blood types to experience a stroke before the age of 60.
The latest meta-analysis reveals that those with blood type O are less likely to get an early-onset stroke.
A team of researchers from the University of Maryland School of Medicine in the United States examined the connection between genetic traits including blood type and stroke in their study, which was conducted.
They did this by analyzing information from 48 genetic studies on adult patients with ischemic strokes between the ages of 18 and 59. An obstruction in the blood supply to the brain results in ischemic strokes.
The trials involved approximately 600,000 healthy controls who had never suffered a stroke and about 17,000 stroke patients overall.
According to the co-principal investigator of the study Braxton Mitchell, "We were interested in trying to find the genetic drivers of stroke."
Mitchell, a professor of medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, stated that there is a significant genetic component as well as an environmental component to stroke.
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He and his colleagues looked at people's genetic profiles to further investigate this and discovered a connection between early-onset stroke and the region of the chromosome that contains the gene that determines a person's blood type.
An individual's blood type is determined by the genes they inherit from their parents and is one of the four major blood groups that exist in humans: A, B, AB, and O. O blood type is the most prevalent.
In contrast to persons with late-onset stroke and those who had never had a stroke, early-onset stroke patients were more likely to have blood type A and less likely to have blood type O.
According to Mitchell, having blood type A lowers the risk of later-onset stroke by just around 5% while raising it by about 16% for early-onset stroke.
"If you have blood type O, you're 12% less likely to have an early-onset stroke, but only 4% less likely to have a stroke later in life."
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Very Low Risk
Although blood type A was associated with an elevated risk of early-onset stroke, the researchers stressed that this link was very weak.
They emphasize that people with type A blood need not be concerned about suffering an early-onset stroke and should not undergo further screening or medical testing in light of this finding.
Clinically, we shouldn't be concerned that having certain blood types puts us at an increased risk of stroke, Mitchell added.
There are other, far more significant risk factors for stroke, such as smoking and hypertension. Therefore, those are the main elements we should consider if we wish to lower our risk of stroke.
"Having said that, we question if having blood type A makes those risk factors even more potent if you already have those risk factors," he continued. We are not yet aware of that. However, that is one of the things we are considering.
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Although the exact cause of blood type A's greater risk is yet unknown, researchers believe that blood clotting factors may be a contributing role.
According to some other research, people with blood type A may be slightly more prone to deep vein thrombosis, which causes blood clots to form in the legs.
According to Mitchell, having blood group A puts you at a higher risk for clotting-related disorders like stroke because of your pro-clotting background.
The bulk of the participants in the analysis was of European origin, which presented a restriction of the investigation. Researchers welcome additional follow-up studies on a more diverse population.
We all have unique genetic variations, and these variations frequently tend to cluster within various ancestral groups, according to Mitchell.
Therefore, by simply examining a tiny number of ancestral groups, we could be overlooking some significant mutations.
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Blood Type And The Risk of Developing Other Diseases
Other studies have revealed connections between blood type and the likelihood of acquiring other health disorders, so it's not simply stroke risk.
People with blood types A, B, or AB, for instance, are more likely than those with blood type O to develop coronary heart disease, according to research from the Harvard School of Public Health.
The danger was highest for people with blood type AB, which is the rarest.
According to previous studies, people with type A blood are more likely than people with other blood types to get stomach cancer.
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Though studies have linked certain health concerns with specific blood types, it's important to remember that we still don't fully understand the reasons behind these associations.
In light of this, how concerned should someone with type A blood be?
According to Mitchell, a person can't genuinely change their blood type. Additionally, there are additional stroke risk factors that are more controllable, such as smoking behaviors, blood pressure, alcohol usage, and level of exercise.
Don't worry at all, I would advise, Mitchell, remarked. "I would consider and concentrate on these other modifiable risk factors because they are risk factors for heart disease, cancer, and other conditions in addition to stroke."
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'Great Step' In Lowering The Risk of Stroke
Clare Jonas from the UK charity Stroke Association commented on the findings and called them a "wonderful start" towards better monitoring of early stroke risk factors.
According to Jonas, who is the Research Communications and Engagement Lead at the Stroke Association, which offers assistance to those who have experienced a stroke, "the majority of strokes happen to older people, due to reasons we are commonly aware of like high blood pressure, thickening of the arteries, or atrial fibrillation."
She stated in a statement that because the causes of stroke in young adults aren't fully known, it's more difficult to avoid them.
"At this time, it is unknown why blood type A individuals may have a higher risk of developing an early stroke. Therefore, we are unable to create focused early stroke preventions as yet.
However, she continued, "this research is a tremendous step in assisting healthcare practitioners in identifying who might benefit the most from being monitored for other risk factors and receiving interventions to help minimize risk."
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