A study soon to be published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology has found that women with cancer-causing human papilloma virus (HPV) are at an increased risk of developing cardiovascular diseases.
The research focused on the 20% of people who develop heart disease without any of the normal risk factors. The authors of the study write that HPV, one of the most common sexually transmitted infections in the UK, may be a ‘non-traditional risk factor’ for cardiovascular disease. The study investigated history of heart disease, blood pressure, BMI, cholesterol and diabetes amongst other medical, demographic and lifestyle information.
The implications of the study are that HPV vaccines could help to prevent heart disease and that doctors should monitor patients with cancer-associated HPV to prevent the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
