In their latest study, University of Maryland researchers examined the relationship between blood types and stroke. The results of the study were published in the journal Neurology.
The researchers collected data from 48 genetic studies involving about 17,000 people who had suffered a stroke and about 600,000 who had not. The participants were all between the ages of 18 and 59.
The researchers found a clear link between the genome of blood group A and early onset of stroke.
People with blood type A had a 16 percent higher risk of having a stroke before the age of 60 compared to those with other blood types.
For those with blood type 0, the risk was 12 percent lower.
It is not yet known exactly why blood type A is associated with a higher risk.
Scientists emphasize that the increased risk of stroke in people with blood type A is "low" and therefore no special screening is needed.
