Blood type may help predict stroke risk before age 60

A meta-analysis conducted last year under the supervision of researchers at the University of Maryland in College Park in the United States included all data from 48 different genetic studies. The common theme evaluated was the occurrence of ischemic cerebrovascular accidents (CVAs) in young adults under 60 years of age.

Lead researcher Steven J. Kittner, professor of Neurology at an American university, justified the study and explained: “The number of people who have an early stroke is increasing. These people are more likely to die from the life-threatening event, and survivors may face decades of disability.”

To piece together the results, the team performed a meta-analysis evaluating the genome-wide association of early-onset stroke in patients aged 18 to 59 years using individual data or summary statistics. 16,730 stroke patients and 599,237 healthy controls who reported suffering from neurological disorders.

What are the findings of the meta-analysis?

The study revealed that people who had an early stroke were more likely to have type A blood and a lower incidence of blood type O (known as a universal donor) compared with people who had a late stroke or had no disease at all.

Finally, after fine-tuning for gender and other factors, the researchers concluded that patients with type A blood were 16% more likely to have an early stroke than people with other blood types. Already People with type O were 12% less likely to develop the disease. more paralyzed than others.

Kittner admits he doesn’t know yet in a statement Why does type A blood pose such a great risk?, but he speculates that it “has something to do with blood clotting factors and other circulating proteins, such as platelets and the cells that line blood vessels.” Previous studies have shown that individuals with type A blood have a higher risk of developing blood clots (thrombosis) in the legs.

ARTICLE – neurology – DOI: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000201006.