YOUR BLOOD TYPE AFFECTS YOUR RISK OF AN EARLY STROKE, STUDY REVEALS. (PHOTO).

 Your Blood Type Affects Your Risk of an Early Stroke, Study Reveals

Research suggests a surprising link between blood type and stroke risk, with people carrying one specific group A blood type facing a higher likelihood of stroke before age 60.

This finding, published in 2022, deepens our understanding of how our unique biological makeup can impact our health.

You’ve probably heard of the A, B, AB, and O groups, which refer to the various chemical markers, known as antigens, found on the surface of our red blood cells.

Even within these major blood types, there are subtle variations caused by mutations in the genes involved.

Researchers analyzed data from 48 genetic studies, which included approximately 17,000 stroke patients and nearly 600,000 non-stroke controls. All participants were between the ages of 18 and 59.

Their findings revealed a clear relationship between the gene responsible for the A1 blood subgroup, and early-onset stroke.

A genome-wide search revealed two locations strongly associated with an earlier risk of stroke. One coincided with the spot where genes for blood type sit.

A second analysis of specific types of blood-type gene then found people whose genome coded for a variation of the A group had a 16 percent higher chance of a stroke before the age 60, compared with a population of other blood types.

For those with a gene for group O1, the risk was lower by 12 percent.

The researchers noted, however, that the additional risk of stroke in people with type A blood is small, so there is no need for extra vigilance or screening in this group.

“We still don’t know why blood type A would confer a higher risk,” said senior author and vascular neurologist Steven Kittner from the University of Maryland.

“But it likely has something to do with blood-clotting factors like platelets and cells that line the blood vessels as well as other circulating proteins, all of which play a role in the development of blood clots.”

While the study findings may seem alarming – that blood type could change early stroke risk – let’s put these results into context.