A new study suggests that women with high-risk strains of human papillomavirus (HPV) may be at a higher risk of dying from heart disease. The research, published online in the European Heart Journal, included over 163,000 young and middle-aged Korean women without heart disease. These women were screened for high-risk HPV as part of a national health exam and were tracked for up to 17 years. After adjusting for factors affecting heart disease risk, researchers found that women infected with high-risk HPV were four times more likely to die of heart disease than uninfected women.
The study authors suggest that viral infections like HPV can trigger inflammation, a key player in heart disease, which may explain the association found in the study. However, more research, including studies in men, is needed to confirm these findings. Vaccines against HPV, which is the most common sexually transmitted infection, are known to be highly effective in preventing cervical cancer. Future studies on these vaccines could also investigate their impact on heart-related outcomes.
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