Every year, around 15 million people worldwide suffer a stroke. Data from the World Health Organization (WHO) are clear: 5 million do not survive and another 5 million remain with permanent neurological damage. And while until now the best known risk factors were hypertension, smoking, sedentary lifestyle or high cholesterol, today new research focuses attention on something we cannot change: our blood type.
According to a study published in the journal Neurologygroup A would be associated with a higher risk of early stroke, i.e. before the age of 60. This was discovered by a team of researchers from the University of Maryland School of Medicine, who analyzed the genetic data of hundreds of thousands of people.
Group A more at risk, group O more protected
Scientists conducted a meta-analysis of 48 studies, examining the genetic makeup of 17,000 stroke patients and more than 600,000 healthy people. The focus was on ischemic stroke, the most common form (responsible for around 87% of cases), caused by an interruption of blood flow to the brain.
Here’s what emerged:
The authors of the study believe that these data could be linked to blood clotting factors, such as platelets and circulating proteins, which vary from person to person also based on blood type.
No alarm: the risk is there, but it is slight and knowing it helps prevention
Despite the numbers, experts urge us not to create alarmism. Dr. Braxton D. Mitchell, co-author of the study, explained that the increased risk is modest and that people with group A need not worry or seek additional testing based on this finding.
The message is clear: knowing our body better helps us protect ourselves, but this does not mean living in fear. Also because, as Dr. Steven J. Kittner pointed out, it is not yet entirely clear why group A is more exposed. One hypothesis is that this blood type favors the formation of clots, increasing the risk of stroke or thrombosis.
Other studies had already linked group A to a greater likelihood of developing deep vein thrombosis, i.e. the formation of clots in the veins of the legs.
In recent years, cases of stroke in young people have increased. Those who are affected before the age of 60 often have a long recovery journey ahead of them, made up of therapies, motor difficulties and, in some cases, permanent disabilities. Understanding which genetic factors make us more vulnerable can make a difference.
Kittner explained that more research is needed to understand the biological mechanisms that link blood type to stroke risk. But in the meantime, this study helps us reflect on how much prevention must start from knowledge of our body, including our blood type, which is often underestimated.
Don’t want to miss our news?
You might also be interested in:
