The blood group you belong to is more than just a marker to match your donation; it may have something telling you about your probability of acquiring certain diseases. A new study published in the Journal of Neurology notes that it can be made an assumption from your blood group by which you are most likely to have an early-onset ischemic stroke at the age under 60.

Although the factors like genetics, age, and lifestyle are the factors that best contribute to the risk of a stroke, this new research has really shed new light on how blood group can be considered as playing a pivotal role than ever thought.

How Your Blood Type links to Stroke Risk?

A study suggests that an independent relationship exists between blood type A and an elevated risk for an early-onset ischemic stroke. Ischemic strokes are the presence of a blood clot in one artery, which causes blockage of blood flow to the brain, and about 90% of all stroke cases. The CDC suggests that in the United States, someone has a stroke every 40 seconds while one person dies from a stroke every 3.5 minutes.

This new research, hence, opens the possibilities that an earlier incidence of ischemic stroke in youth could be attributed to blood type A.

But it's worth remembering that blood type is just one of hundreds of risk factors, according to co-author Braxton Mitchell, PhD, MPH, a genetic epidemiologist at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. "In the grand scheme of things, it's a much smaller risk factor than others," he said. Other genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors still determine stroke risk.

Blood Type A: Strong Link to Early-Onset Stroke

Study authors conducted a genome-wide association analysis, recruiting nearly 17,000 patients with stroke aged 18 to 59 years from 48 studies and more than 599,000 controls who never had a stroke history. The analysis was aimed at exploring genetic variants throughout the human genome in greater detail.

The ABO blood group possessed genetic differences, and the blood type A was the strongest risk factor for a stroke that occurred early in life. The possibility of having an early onset ischemic stroke was 18% higher among people with blood type A compared to the rest of the blood groups. Such a high risk could be associated with a higher susceptibility to blood coagulation, which is one of the most common causes of ischemic strokes.

Blood Type O: Lower Stroke Risk

On the other hand, individuals with type O blood have a 12% reduced risk of an early-onset stroke compared to other blood types. This is in-line with earlier research that has found people with type O blood are more likely to be at low risk for blood clotting inside their arteries, which could be the reason why their overall risk of having a stroke decreased.

Blood Type B and AB: Mixed Bag

Another blood group-the research looked at blood group B-for which a weak association is found with the onset of early and late stroke. However, the authors indicate that when sex and other risk factors are adjusted, no association between blood group B and increased stroke risk exists. In persons with blood group AB, there is no significant association discovered for having an elevated stroke risk.

Other Risk Factors

While this study points to the effect of blood type, it is important to understand that blood type alone is not a strong predictor of stroke risk. Many other factors are comprised in this, including lifestyle, and most importantly, underlying health conditions. Age is one critical factor. According to the CDC, your risk for stroke doubles with each decade after age 55.

While strokes are more likely to affect people who are 65 years of age and older, one in seven strokes strikes people aged 15 to 49.

Thirdly, gender another factor that has been related to increased risks of stroke conditions. The female population is more prone to stroke compared to the male population and tends to have a worse outcome in terms of disability and death due to stroke.

It was recently indicated in the 2022 study that young women aged between 35-45 years had a 44% increased risk of ischemic stroke as compared to men aged between 35-45 years. Perhaps pregnancy or the use of birth control could be some of the factors behind the usual increased risk in women.

Ways You Can Manage Stroke Risk

While the study does show a genetic element linked to blood type and stroke, other controllable factors are more important risks for stroke. Here are some steps you can take to reduce your total risk:

1. Control Blood Pressure: High blood pressure forms one of the most dominant risks for strokes. Control through regular monitoring, medication if required, and lifestyle modifications can prove to reduce this significantly.

2. Maintain a Healthy Weight: Being overweight increases the risk of stroke. Anyone can benefit from staying at a healthy weight and living a healthy lifestyle. A balanced diet and regular exercise can help you achieve and maintain a healthy weight and thus minimize your risk for stroke.

3. Reduce Alcohol Intake and Quit Smoking: Too much alcohol drinking and smoking are also significant risk factors for stroke. Cutting down on alcohol consumption and quitting smoking would be two very important lifestyle changes for anyone interested in being healthy.

4. Stay Physically Fit: Exercise is known to keep the heart healthy, reduce blood pressure, and promote a healthy weight all of which contribute to a decrease chance for stroke.

5. Monitor Your Cholesterol: It's a fact that high cholesterol builds up plaques in arteries, thereby increasing the chances of stroke occurrence. Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins are part of a heart-healthy diet that helps keep cholesterol at bay.

This research thus brings forward a new and enlightened perspective of the correlation between blood type and stroke risk, especially in younger ages. Although type A blood might have a propensity for developing early ischemic stroke, it is worth noting that this is just one of many factors responsible for developing a stroke.

Focusing on controllable lifestyle factors such as remaining within a healthy weight range, staying active, and managing blood pressure will help significantly reduce the chances of having a stroke regardless of the blood type.

Indians are facing an increasing burden of heart diseases, and mortality is rising faster compared to other countries. A top US cardiologist has now shared the major risk factors that range from genetics to obesity to pollution.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) cause nearly 31 per cent of all deaths in India, according to the latest Sample Registration Survey (SRS) 2021-2023 data from the Registrar General of India, released in September 2025.

The SRS report highlighted cardiovascular diseases as the leading cause of death, especially among adults over 30.

Speaking exclusively to HealthandMe, Dr. Sripal Bangalore, Professor of Medicine at New York University School of Medicine, highlighted the key reasons why India is seeing a huge burden of heart diseases.

"I think it’s a combination of traditional and non-traditional risk factors. Globally, we are seeing the burden of obesity increasing, and specifically in India, genetic factors and non-traditional risk factors also play a role," Dr. Sripal said.

"There is a growing investigation into lipoprotein(a) and other causes of cardiovascular disease (in India). Obesity is a major risk factor, and I’m sure stress and pollution also add to it, with more and more data supporting these links," he added.

Data from the World Heart Federation showed that heart disease kills 28.6 lakh Indians every year. In the recent past, India has also been seeing a significantly higher rate of heart attacks and related deaths, even in children as young as 12 years old.

Also read: AHA’s New Dyslipidemia Guidelines Stress Early Screening, Lifestyle Management

What Factors Are Driving This Trend

"I think we need to know that part of it tends to be non-traditional, because in the Western world most of it is explainable by traditional risk factors like hypertension, diabetes, and hypercholesterolemia," Dr. Sripal said.

"What we see in India is that it is less about those risk factors, but more about non-traditional ones, including potentially genetic factors and lipoprotein(a)," the doctor added.

The Indian-origin interventional cardiologist also cited lifestyle factors such as stress and pollution that are significantly adding to the increased risk of cardiovascular events in the country.

AHA 2026 Cholesterol Guidelines: Relevance For India

Recently, the American Heart Association (AHA) released cholesterol guidelines, which stressed the importance of early screening, starting with teenagers.

The guidelines call for early intervention through early screening and healthy lifestyle changes, starting from childhood.

It recommends:

• Children (9-11 years): Cholesterol screening if never done before.
• Adults (30-79 years): Evaluate 10- and 30-year ASCVD risk to determine the need for early intervention

"India is a good example where LDL levels (bad cholesterol) may not be very high, like in the Western world. Many times, HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol) tends to be lower, and there are other risk factors, including lipoprotein(a), which seems to be elevated here," Dr. Sripal said.

How To Improve Heart Health

The doctor also explained whether overall diet quality matters more than just cholesterol intake.

"Diet adds to the totality of everything that we do, including increasing the risk of obesity. Cholesterol may explain some part of it, but having a heart-healthy diet is critically important," Dr. Sripal said.

The cardiologist highlighted the need to increase the intake of fruits and vegetables, as consuming natural foods is critically important.

Importantly, he also emphasized at least making sure that you have a lipid panel to check your cholesterol levels.

"We are assuming that you are staying healthy and not smoking. Checking blood pressure, it depends on your age, but at least once a year, checking your lipid panel would be critically important," Dr. Sripal told HealthandMe.

As a cardiologist, he shared that to boost heart health, the key is

• to make sure that you lead a healthy lifestyle,
• stay away from smoking,
• increase physical activity,
• reduce stress.

"Pollution is one factor, and I think we can all do our part to make sure that we don’t contribute more to environmental pollution," he noted.

While India’s Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (MoEFCC) enforced a nationwide ban on identified single-use plastic (SUP) items from July 1, 2022, a new survey showed that violations continue to persist across major cities in the country, raising significant health and environmental risks.

The survey of 560 locations by Toxics Link -- an Indian environmental research and advocacy organization -- showed that 84 percent of sites across Delhi, Mumbai, Guwahati, and Bhubaneswar still use or sell banned plastic items.

Bhubaneswar recorded the highest availability of banned SUPs at 89 percent of survey locations, followed by Delhi at 86 percent, Mumbai at 85 percent, and Guwahati at 76 percent.

The survey noted that high use among street food vendors, juice shops, coconut water sellers, vegetable vendors, and ice cream parlours.

"The continued presence of banned plastic items in a majority of locations suggests that enforcement remains inconsistent,” said Ravi Agarwal, Director of Toxics Link.

“Unless implementation improves and the supply of these products is controlled, the ban will not effectively address plastic littering and pollution,” he added.

How Plastics Can Harm Your Body

Plastic carry bags, disposable plastic cutlery, cups, plates, and straws often contain chemicals like BPA and phthalates, which can interfere with the body’s hormonal balance.

BPA is an industrial chemical used to make certain plastics and resins, and its exposure has been linked to several health conditions, including an increased risk of high blood pressure.

Phthalates, another group of chemicals used to make plastics more flexible, have been found to disrupt the endocrine system, leading to potential health issues.

Also read: Your Kids’ Fast-fashion Clothing May Be Laced With High Levels of Toxic Lead

Studies have proven that BPA and phthalates can mimic the body’s hormones, particularly estrogen. This interference can disrupt the normal functioning of the cardiovascular system, leading to increased blood pressure.

Plastics also contain some highly toxic chemicals, such as flame retardants, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), that can migrate into the environment and into human bodies.

According to a report by WWF, an average person could be ingesting approximately 5 grams of plastic every week.

Scientific studies have proven that the health effects of plastics include cancer or changing hormone activity (known as endocrine disruption), which can lead to reproductive, growth, and cognitive impairment.

Recent evidence also indicates that humans constantly inhale and ingest microplastics through contaminated seafood, including fish and shellfish.

In addition, microplastics have been found in tap water, bottled water, and even commonly consumed beverages, such as beer and salt.

How to Reduce the Disease Risks?

The UNDP urges individuals, organizations, and governments to work together to

• manage plastic waste,
• reduce plastic usage,
• transition to a more sustainable and resilient environment.

Other options include

• Opting for BPA-free and phthalate-free options
• Switching to reusable water bottles, plates, and cutlery made from glass, stainless steel, or other safe materials can significantly reduce exposure to harmful chemicals.
• Avoid exposing plastic bottles or lunch boxes to high temperatures, as heat can accelerate the leaching of chemicals into the water.

While a weakened immune system and fear of complications once denied people with HIV access to organ transplants, doctors at a Delhi hospital have now challenged the idea with a successful kidney transplant surgery on a 43-year-old HIV-positive patient from Ethiopia.

According to the team of doctors from the Max Super Speciality Hospital, Patparganj, who successfully performed the complex living donor kidney transplant, advancements in antiretroviral therapy and transplant protocols have made such procedures increasingly safe in carefully selected cases.

“HIV is no longer a barrier to organ transplantation when managed appropriately,” said Dr. Ravi Kumar Singh, Senior Consultant, Nephrology and Transplant Physician at Max Hospital, Patparganj.

“With strict selection criteria and coordinated multidisciplinary care, patients with well-controlled HIV can achieve outcomes comparable to the general transplant population.”

Also read: India Identifies 219 Districts As Priority For Intensified HIV/AIDS Interventions

Kidney Transplant In HIV Positive Patient

The patient, who had been living with HIV for 10 years, developed end-stage renal disease 3 years ago and has been dependent on regular dialysis since then.

Before the surgery, the patient underwent extensive evaluation to ensure optimal control of HIV, including a stable immune profile and undetectable viral load.

The patient’s 33-year-old wife donated one of her kidneys. Compatibility testing confirmed matching blood groups and a negative cross-match, enabling the team to proceed with the transplant.

“Kidney transplantation in patients with HIV requires a highly meticulous and coordinated approach, given the complexities of balancing immunosuppression with ongoing antiretroviral therapy,” said Dr. Paresh Jain, Senior Director, Urology, Robotic Surgery & Renal Transplant.

“In this case, careful pre-transplant evaluation, precise surgical execution, and close post-operative monitoring were critical to ensuring a successful outcome. This procedure reflects how advances in transplant science and surgical expertise are enabling us to safely expand access to life-saving transplants for patients who were once considered high-risk,” he added.

Following the transplant, the patient has shown encouraging recovery, has been taken off dialysis, and is gradually returning to normal daily activities, the doctors said. The patient also continues on a carefully monitored regimen of immunosuppressive and antiretroviral therapy, they added.

Also read: India's Silent Crisis: Why We Must Embrace Deceased Donor Organ Transplantation

Can People With HIV Get A Transplant?

With advancements in antiretroviral therapy (ART), enabling people to live longer, HIV has now become a chronic, manageable condition. However, the HIV positive patients are now more likely to die from end-stage organ disease than from AIDS-related infections.

As per the US National Institutes of Health, people with HIV can successfully donate or receive transplanted organs with reasonable success rates.

However, health care providers must consider and monitor potential drug interactions, kidney and liver function, and HIV viral suppression in people with HIV receiving a transplant.

Further, the NIH advised HIV positive patients to continue taking all prescribed HIV medicines before and after transplant.