ABO blood type, factor VIII, and incident cognitive impairment in the REGARDS cohort

Abstract

Objective: To assess the relationships among ABO group, factor VIII (FVIII), and incident cognitive impairment in a large, prospective cohort study of black and white adults in the United States using a nested case-control design.Methods: Incident cognitive impairment was defined using cognitive domain tests over a mean follow-up of 3.4 years. ABO blood group was measured by genotyping in a nested case-control sample of 495 cases with cognitive impairment and 587 controls.Results: Those with blood group AB and those with higher FVIII had an increased risk of cognitive impairment, adjusting for age, race, region, and sex (respective odds ratios 1.82, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.15-2.90; and 1.24, 95% CI 1.10-1.38 for 40 IU/dL higher FVIII). Mean FVIII was higher in those with blood type AB (142 IU/dL; 95% CI 119-165) compared with O (104 IU/dL; 95% CI 101-107), and FVIII mediated 18% of the association between AB group and incident cognitive impairment (95% CI for mediation 230% to 68%).Conclusions: Blood group AB and higher FVIII were associated with increased incidence of cognitive impairment in this prospective study. The association of blood group AB with incident cognitive impairment was not significantly mediated by FVIII levels. There is a growing understanding that cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cognitive impairment share many common risk factors. Hypertension, 1,2 elevated cholesterol, 3 hyperglycemia, 2,4 and obesity 4,5 are all associated with longitudinal declines in cognitive function and dementia. Higher levels of the hemostatic markers von Willebrand factor (vWF), coagulation factor VIII (FVIII), and D-dimer have also been related to risk of cognitive impairment and dementia. [6][7][8][9] ABO blood group is associated with many forms of CVD, including coronary heart disease (CHD), stroke, and venous thromboembolism. [10][11][12] In general, individuals with blood group O have a reduced risk of CVD.13,14 Non-O blood types are associated with higher levels of vWF and FVIII, procoagulant proteins that circulate as a complex in blood, 11,12 because the ABO antigen affects clearance of vWF.15 Levels of both vWF and FVIII are associated with thrombosis, 16 and were recently linked to dementia risk. 17 A recent report demonstrating an association between blood type AB and stroke risk found that 60% of that association was mediated by differences in FVIII level. 18Although ABO blood group is a CVD risk factor, we are not aware of studies on its relationship with cognitive impairment. In this study, we examined the relationships among ABO group, FVIII, and incident cognitive impairment in the Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) cohort. We hypothesized that blood group A, B, or AB would be associated with an increased risk of cognitive impairment relative to group O.

‘O’ blood type is associated with larger grey-matter volumes in the cerebellum

“…On this note, the influence of ABO-system blood types on the nervous system has been a largely unexplored research area. Despite the association which has been frequently reported between 'O' and non-'O' blood types and cardiovascular risk factors (Carpeggiani et al, 2010;Wu et al, 2008;Yang et al, 2014), recent findings suggest that other, non-vasculogenic mechanisms might exist, such as, for instance, the involvement of glycosyltransferase enzymes encoded by the ABO genetic locus (Alexander et al, 2014). In a retrospective and explorative fashion, we carried out a voxel-based morphometric analysis of the differences of whole-brain GM volumes between a subgroup of healthy adults with 'O' blood type and comparable subgroups having other blood types.…”

“…In addition, a recent cohort-based investigation which tested the possibility that 'non-O' adults might show poorer cognitive trajectories, found that 'AB' blood type is associated with higher incidence of cognitive decline (Alexander et al, 2014).…”

Effect of yoga on general health: food habits versus blood groups

“…One study by researchers at Yale University and New York's Albert Einstein College of Medicine found that women with blood type O are twice as likely to have a lower egg count and poorer egg quality as others. 5 The researchers measured the level of reproductive hormone FSH in the women and adjusted for other fertility factors, such as age and BMI. Women with blood type O were more likely to A 2012 study from Harvard University found people with non-O blood also happen to have an increased risk for cardiovascular disease.…”

Evolutionary aspects of ABO blood group in humans

“…Although no significant difference was found in the ABO blood group distribution in Parkinson's disease patients compared with controls in two studies conducted by Strang [63] and by Chia and Liu [64], in another study published by Kak and Gordon an excess of blood group B was described [65]. No significant association with the ABO blood groups was reported by Renvoize in patients with Alzheimer's disease [66], while in a recent study the blood group AB and higher FVIII were associated with incident cognitive impairment [67]. This latter finding is very interesting, and is seemingly in agreement with previous observations of an involvement of a coagulation system in the pathogenesis of some neurodegenerative disorders [68].…”

“…However, despite the fact that ABO antigens have been known for more than a century, their biological significance remains largely elusive. Therefore, the aim of this narrative review is to summarize the current knowledge on the clinical significance of the ABO Clinica Chimica Acta 444 (2015) [66][67][68][69][70][71] system, providing a tentative interpretation of the available literature data according to an evolutionary perspective.…”