A stroke is a potentially fatal medical illness that occurs when the blood flow to a portion of the brain is cut off. Stroke is still the greatest cause of death in the United States, so experts are working hard to understand the risk factors that contribute to it.
A study published recently has revealed a previously unknown risk factor for a rare type of stroke: cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT).
A cerebral vein thrombosis (VT) is a blood clot in the brain that accounts for less than 1% of all stroke incidents globally.
The study led by Royal Holloway, University of London, has discovered the first genetic link to CVT.
Although various risk factors have previously been identified as contributors to adult CVT, its genetic basis remains unknown.
In the paper, the ABO gene – a gene that determines individual blood type status – was identified as the first chromosomal area to strongly link with a genetic predisposition to CVT.
To investigate the link, the researchers conducted a genomic analysis that included 882 Europeans with CVT (and a control group of 1205 persons with similar demographics who did not have CVT).
Researchers discovered that pinpointing a region of the human genome that closely corresponds with CVT more than doubles the possibility of CVT: a risk bigger than any previously reported genetic risk factor.
Researchers were also able to show that those with blood group AB had a 5.6 times higher risk of CVT than people with blood group O.
Professor Pankaj Sharma, Director of the Institute of Cardiovascular Research at the University of London’s Royal Holloway, stated:
“CVT is a form of stroke which affects young people, especially women.
“Our work, 10 years in the making, brings together a global international collaboration that has identified a risk factor, as simple as someone’s blood group, and presents a major step forward in predicting and understanding the mechanism of this disease.
“Needless to say, CVT has entered the public domain following its association with the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.
“Whether an individual’s blood group status affects their risk of developing CVT following the vaccine remains to be seen.”
Other less known CVT risk factors
According to an article published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ), another important risk factor for CVT are oestrogen-containing oral contraceptives.
The International Study on Cerebral Vein and Dural Sinus Thrombosis found that up to 85 percent of adult patients have at least one risk factor.
The most common was use of oral contraceptives.
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