Women with HPV at increased risk of death from heart disease

Women have a four times higher risk of dying from cardiovascular disease if they have an infection with a high-risk strain of human papillomavirus (HPV), according to a study published in the European Heart Journal.

Previous research has suggested that HPV may contribute to the build-up of dangerous plaque in the arteries, but this is the first known study to show a link between high-risk HPV infection and deaths from cardiovascular disease. The work was led by Professors Seungho Ryu, Yoosoo Chang and Hae Suk Cheong from Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, South Korea.

“Despite remarkable advances in controlling well-known risk factors for heart disease — such as smoking, high cholesterol, hypertension and diabetes — heart disease continues to be a major cause of death,” Ryu said. “Interestingly, these conventional risk factors don’t explain all heart disease cases; about 20% occur in people who don’t have these issues. This highlights the need to investigate other changeable risk factors.”

The new research included 163,250 young or middle-aged Korean women who had no cardiovascular disease at the start of the study. The women were given a variety of health screening tests, including cervical screening for 13 high-risk strains of HPV. The women returned for health checks every year or two for an average of eight and half years. Researchers were able to combine data on the women’s HPV test results with national data on deaths from cardiovascular disease, including heart disease and stroke.

As a group of relatively young, healthy women, their risk of dying of cardiovascular disease was generally low (9.1 in 100,000 overall). However, after taking account for other factors that are known to increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, researchers found that women with high-risk HPV had a 3.91 times greater risk of blocked arteries, a 3.74 times greater risk of dying from heart disease and a 5.86 times greater risk of dying from a stroke, compared to women who did not have a high-risk HPV infection. Researchers also found that the risk was higher still in women who had a high-risk HPV infection and obesity.

“HPV is known for its link to cervical cancer, but research is starting to show that this virus can also be found in the bloodstream,” Cheong noted. “It could be that the virus is creating inflammation in the blood vessels, contributing to blocked and damaged arteries and increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease.

“This study highlights the importance of comprehensive care for patients with high-risk HPV. Clinicians should monitor cardiovascular health in patients with high-risk HPV, particularly those with obesity or other risk factors. It’s [also] important for people with high-risk HPV to be aware of the potential for both heart disease and cervical cancer risks.”

The researchers say more work is needed to find out whether high-risk HPV infection has similar effects on men and to see if the HPV vaccine can prevent deaths from heart disease, with Ryu stating that the findings, if confirmed, could have substantial implications for public health strategies.

“Increasing HPV vaccination rates may be an important strategy in reducing long-term cardiovascular risks,” he said.

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