Can Blood Type Predict Risk of Early Stroke?
A person’s blood type may be linked to how likely they are to have an early stroke, according to a new meta-analysis of more than 600,000 patients in 48 studies. The findings, published August 31 in the journal Neurology, included all available data from genetic studies on ischemic strokes, which are caused by a blockage of blood flow to the brain, occurring in adults younger than 60. In the overall population, this type of stroke accounts for 87 percent of all strokes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).“The number of people with early strokes is rising,” said the study's co-principal investigator Steven J. Kittner, MD, MPH, in a press release. Dr. Kittner is a professor of neurology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM)…