Research suggests that blood type could increase your risk of
heart disease, Alzheimer's and more.
By Beth Howard March 28, 2021
What’s your blood type? If you’re not sure, you may be
missing out on an important health clue. A spate of recent research suggests
that your blood type — whether A, B, AB or O — may influence your risk for a
variety of health conditions, from cardiac disease to cancer.
The research is still early and scientists aren’t yet sure
how to explain the connections. Although you can’t change your blood type,
however, knowing about added risks can still be helpful. Here are several ways
your blood type could be affecting your health — and what to do about it.
Heart disease
“Blood type relates to several diseases including heart
attack, stroke, and venous thromboembolism,” says Mary Cushman, M.D., a
hematologist at the University of Vermont.
In fact on average non-O blood groups have a 60-80% higher
risk than people with blood group O for developing dangerous blood clots, the
kind that can break off and travel to the lungs with sometimes devastating
results. Similarly people with blood types A, B or AB are at a greater risk for
coronary heart disease than people with blood type O, according to a study from Harvard School of Public Health. Other research has
linked non-O blood to greater inflammation, which may help explain the
connection.
Don’t fret if you have a blood type other than O, however,
Cushman says. Managing heart-related risk factors like high blood
pressure and diabetes with lifestyle habits and prescribed
medications can tip the scales in the opposite direction, helping keep your
ticker in tip-top shape.
A study of 30,000 people from the University of
Vermont showed that people with the AB blood type were 82% more likely
than other blood types to develop thinking and memory problems that lead to
dementia. “Blood type has been related to diseases like stroke that have a
vascular basis so we thought that maybe vascular issues contribute to memory
problems,” says Dr. Cushman, who led the study.
Luckily, Dr. Cushman says, the effect was still small. “But
it’s important to keep as healthy as possible by controlling high blood
pressure, not smoking, staying physically fit and having a healthy diet.” she
says. “Each of these can slow the development of memory problems.” It can also
help to keep your brain active through things like reading, doing puzzles, and
social interaction.
Gastro-intestial conditions
Several studies have found that that people with blood type
A have a higher risk of gastric cancer, says investigator Gustaf Edgren, M.D.,
Ph.D., associate professor of epidemiology at the Karolinska Institute in
Sweden.
People with type O, on the other hand, are more likely than
others to develop peptic ulcer. Since both conditions are associated with a
bacteria called h pylori infection, he believes that the findings have to do
with different susceptibility to bacterial infections associated with the blood
types.
‘There’s little we can do about this regarding gastric
cancer,” Dr. Edgren says, “but the risk associated with blood group is actually
too small to make much of a difference.” Nevertheless, he says, everyone should
try to avoid the three most important risk factors for many diseases: smoking,
excessive alcohol consumption, and being overweight.
* * *
High blood pressure warning signs
If you exhibit high blood pressure over an extended period
of time, your doctor will likely recommend lifestyle changes and/or medications
used to treat hypertension.
Additionally, people with very high blood pressure should be
on the lookout for symptoms that may indicate a hypertensive crisis. These
include:
1.
Severe headache
2.
Fatigue or
confusion
3.
Vision problems
4.
Chest
pain
5.
Difficulty
breathing
6.
Irregular
heartbeat
7.
Blood
in the urine
8.
Pounding
in your chest, neck, or ears
If you have any of these symptoms, see your doctor right
away. A hypertensive crisis may lead to a heart attack or stroke but,
with treatment, you’ll likely be able to extinguish the crisis before further
damage is done.
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