2023-06-11 02:00:46
This type seems to be more exposed than type O, but the weight of traditional risk factors is decisive. New insights add up to advances in the management of stroke.
Is blood type related to risk of stroke before age 60? This is one of the new questions addressed by a new study that could make a new contribution to the management of this disease.
Genetic variants associated with each person’s blood type or group may be related to their risk of early stroke, according to a new meta-analysis published in Neurology, which has included all available data from genetic studies on ischemic stroke in young adults.
Despite previous work along these lines suggesting that non-O blood groups were at risk for early stroke, the new findings from this meta-analysis have also noted a stronger link primarily with blood type A associated with early stroke. , before the age of 60, compared to the later one”, says Braxton Mitchell, of the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore (United States), and lead author of the work.
Specifically, the new meta-analysis suggests that people with these gene variants may be more prone to developing blood clots, which could lead to stroke.”
Do not generate alarm
For Antonio Gil Núñez, head of the Vascular Neurology Section and head of the Stroke Unit of the Gregorio Marañón Hospital in Madrid, these findings undoubtedly constitute advances that are cornering the disease because they allow more causes of development to be determined.
However, he stresses that the message must also be clear at this time: “alarm should not be created. A very high percentage of the world population has type A blood group and it is clear that not everyone will be exposed to the risk of developing a stroke before the age of 60”.
In his opinion, and until there are more conclusive data, what is relevant is to continue to influence the minimization of the current risk factors for stroke, which “are the same for all people, regardless of their blood group,” points out Gil Núñez.
The meta-analysis published in Neurology is based on a review of 48 studies on genetics and ischemic stroke from North America, Europe, and Asia. The studies included 16,927 people with stroke and 576,353 people who did not have a stroke.
Of those with stroke, 5,825 people had early-onset stroke and 9,269 people had late-onset stroke. Early-onset stroke was defined as ischemic stroke occurring before the age of 60, and late-onset ischemic stroke occurring in persons older than 60 years.
Gene that determines blood type
The researchers looked at all chromosomes to identify genetic variants associated with stroke. They found a link between early stroke and the area of the chromosome that includes the gene that determines blood type A, AB, B or O.
They then divided the participants into blood types A, AB, B, and O. They compared the prevalence of those blood types in people with early stroke, with late stroke, and in people who did not have a stroke.
The analysis found that people with early stroke were more likely to have type A blood and less likely to have type O blood compared with people with late stroke and people without stroke. Both early and late were also more likely to have type B blood compared to controls.
Of course, and according to Gil Núñez, all genetic studies are important since they help to reveal potential factors involved in this disease and that would contribute to its management. However, he also clarifies that “stroke is not inherited; phenomenon that is evident and clear in 99% of cases”.
At work, and after adjusting for gender and other factors, the researchers also found that people who had group A had an 18% higher risk of early stroke than people with other blood types. Those with blood type O had a 12% lower risk of having a stroke than people with other blood types.
In an editorial accompanying the study, Jennifer Juhl Majersik, a professor at the University of Utah and a member of the American Academy of Neurology, “This work deepens our understanding of the development and changes of early-onset strokes, but further research is needed.” future to help develop a more accurate understanding of how stroke develops.”
This knowledge could “lead to specific preventive treatments for early-onset stroke, resulting in less disability during people’s most productive years.”
One limitation of the study, highlighted by Majersik is the limited amount of diversity among the participants, even though 35% of the participants were of non-European descent. Rachel Serrano
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