Individuals With Blood Type A Have a Higher Risk of Stroke Before 60 [Study]

People with blood type A are warned about early stroke. They reportedly have a higher risk of suffering from the serious life-threatening medical condition before they turn 60.

Blood Type A More Prone to Early Stroke

Blood types are the wide variety of chemicals displayed on the surface of the red blood cells. The most familiar are A, B, AB, and O. However, despite the major blood types, there are subtle variations arising from mutations, Science Alert reported.

Researchers collected data from 48 genetic studies, which involved about 17,000 individuals with stroke and nearly 600,000 non-stroke controls. All participants were between 18 to 59 years old.

The genome-wide search revealed that there are two locations strongly associated with an early risk of stroke. One coincided with the spot where genes for blood type sit.

Second, the analysis of specific types of blood-type genes revealed that those with genome coded for the A group had a 16 percent higher chance of getting stroke before they turn 60 compared to other individuals with other blood types.

For those with a gene of group O1, their risk was lower by 12 percent. However, the researchers added that the additional risk of stroke in people with type A blood is small, so there is no need for extra vigilance.

Senior author and vascular neurologist Steven Kittner from the University of Maryland said they still don't what why blood type A has a higher risk, EurekAlert! reported. They speculate that it might likely be due to blood-clotting factors like platelets and cells in the blood vessels or other circulating proteins, which all plays in the development of blood clots.

People with an A blood type have a slightly higher risk of developing blood clots in the legs known as deep vein thrombosis. She noted that follow-up studies are necessary to clarify the mechanism of increased stroke risk.

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What is Stroke?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), stroke is sometimes called a brain attack because it occurs when something blocks the blood supply to a certain part of the brain or when a blood vessel bursts.

In either case, a region of the brain is damaged. It can lead to a lasting brain damage, long-term disability or even death.

The brain controls our movement, memories, thoughts, emotions and language. It also controls several body functions, including breathing and digestion.

It needs oxygen to work well. The arteries deliver oxygen-rich blood to all parts of the brain and if something happens that blocks the flow of blood, brain cells start to die within minutes due to lack of oxygen, which results in stroke.