A new study has revealed that blood type plays a crucial role in identifying stroke risk. According to health experts, blood types reveal the rich variety of chemicals present on the surface of our red blood cells.
According to the current study, people with type A blood groups are more likely to have a stroke before the age of 60 compared with people with other blood types. A Science Alert report revealed that among the most familiar blood types are those named A and B, which can be present together as AB, individually as A or B, or not present at all, as O.
A 2022 study highlighted the between the gene for the A1 subgroup and early onset stroke.
“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.”
The researchers also emphasised that there is a need to conduct more follow-up studies to clarify the mechanisms of increased stroke risk.
During the study, the scientists found that strokes in younger people are less likely to be caused by a build-up of fatty deposits in the arteries (a process called atherosclerosis) and more likely to be caused by factors to do with clot formation, Science Alert reported.
The study also found that people with type B blood were around 11 percent more likely to have a stroke compared to non-stroke controls regardless of their age.
The findings of the study were published in the Neurology journal.