The link between blood type and stroke probability has long remained in the shadow of medical studies, but new data have altered perceptions of this risk factor. Genetic analysis revealed that individuals with the first blood group have a higher chance of suffering a stroke at a young age than others. This is not a sentence, but an unmodifiable predisposing factor that aids in better understanding the disease mechanisms. The findings are published in the journal Neurology.
Type O Blood is Linked to Greater Stroke Risk Before Age 60
The authors concentrated on early strokes—cases prior to age 60, when vascular age-related changes do not yet play a key role. The analysis incorporated data from 48 independent genetic studies, encompassing about 17 thousand stroke patients and nearly 600 thousand individuals without the diagnosis. Participants’ ages ranged from 18 to 59 years, which permitted the examination of precisely the young forms of the ailment.
Genome-wide analysis uncovered two DNA regions connected to stroke risk, one of which coincided with the area of ABO system genes that determine blood type. Detailed examination showed that the A1 subgroup is associated with elevated stroke risk before age 60, whereas the O1 variant is linked to a lower one. On average, carriers of group A faced approximately a 16 percent greater risk, while group O saw a reduction of about 12 percent.
Mark Gladdwin from the University of Maryland deemed the discovery a significant addition to knowledge about unmodifiable risk factors. The senior author of the study, vascular neurologist Steven Kittner, noted the rise in strokes among younger people and their severe outcomes due to prolonged disability and increased danger of premature demise.
The researchers emphasized that the identified differences are moderate and do not necessitate alterations to standard preventative recommendations. The mechanisms are not yet clear, but the involvement of blood clotting peculiarities, platelet activity, and the condition of the vascular wall is presumed. A separate analysis indicated that in people over 60, the connection between the first blood group and stroke is less pronounced, confirming differences in disease mechanisms across various age cohorts.
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