HPV positive, 40% chance of heart disease...Double the risk of coronary artery disease
Mar 27, 2025
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Researchers at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine analyzed the association of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and cardiovascular disease in about 250,000 patients. Three of the related studies were conducted in the United States, two in South Korea, one in Brazil, and the rest in Australia.
HPV is a viral infection that is mainly transmitted by sexual contact.
It is known as an important cause of cervical cancer, and can cause head and neck cancer, as well as penile cancer, vaginal cancer, anal cancer, genital organs or anal humps.
As a result of this study, HPV-positive patients were 40% more likely to develop cardiovascular disease and twice as likely to develop coronary artery disease as negative patients.
Coronary artery disease is a disease in which the coronary arteries that supply blood to the heart are narrowed due to arteriosclerosis and blood is not sufficiently supplied to the heart, and angina and myocardial infarction are typical diseases.
Adjustment of variables such as sociodemographic factors, medical history, lifestyle, family history of heart disease, and use of blood pressure lowering agents also resulted in 33% higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease in HPV-positive persons. However, it was not statistically significant with hypertension.
Lead author of the study, Dr. Stephen Akinfenwa, said "This study shows the association between HPV and cardiovascular disease", which is presumed to be related to chronic inflammation caused by the virus", he explained. "Medical staff should track the heart health of people who test positive for HPV."It is necessary to check whether reducing HPV infection through vaccination also lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease" he added.
The findings will be officially presented at the American Heart Association's Annual Scientific Session in Chicago, Illinois, from March 29-31.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
