Cancer-Causing HPV May Up Heart Disease Risk

Women with high-risk strains of HPV (human papillomavirus) have an increased risk for cardiovascular disease, particularly in those with metabolic syndrome and obesity, finds a new study.

Infection with high-risk strains of the HPV (human papillomavirus), which have been associated with cancer, might raise the risk of cardiovascular disease, especially among obese women, reports a new study. The findings of the study are published in the Circulation Research: Journal of the American Heart Association.

Certain strains of HPV are considered high risk because they can increase the probability of vaginal, vulvar, penile, mouth, throat, and cervical cancers.

Warts - Causes Types Diagnosis Treatment Home Remedies
Warts arise on damaged skin infected with HPV and are common in children, young adults, and those with a compromised immune system. Warts easily spread through skin contact, and are normally benign.

‘A new study finds that certain strains of HPV might also contribute to heart disease. A better understanding of high-risk human papillomavirus as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease may help improve preventive strategies and patient outcomes.’
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The study showed that women with high-risk HPV were 22 percent more likely than uninfected women to develop cardiovascular disease.

Also, women with obesity were nearly two-thirds more likely to develop CVD and those with metabolic syndrome, and high-risk HPV were nearly twice as likely to develop the disorder.

Conversely, slightly more than 7 percent of the women without CVD developed high-risk HPV infections.

Pap smear and Cervical Cancer Screening
Pap smear is the most common test used in screening cervical cancer caused by an infection with human papilloma virus. Pap smear should be repeated every 1 to 3 years till the age of 65 years.

Interestingly, women who smoked, consumed alcohol and reported being physically active were also more likely to have high-risk HPV. In contrast, higher education - college degree or more - was associated with a decreased likelihood of having high-risk HPV.

"A better understanding of high-risk HPV as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease and possible combined effects of high-risk HPV, obesity and metabolic syndrome in increasing cardiovascular disease risk may help improve preventive strategies and patient outcomes," said Seungho Ryu, Professor at Sungkyunkwan University in South Korea.

HPV Screening Test Might Just be Enough for Cervical Cancer Detection
HPV screening test might be a better cervical cancer detection tool than Pap smear test, and thereby the HPV test alone might be sufficient.

Further studies are required to identify specific high-risk HPV genotypes that may contribute to cardiovascular disease and to examine whether vaccine strategies to reduce high-risk HPV infection for cancer prevention may also help reduce CVD, suggested the study.

For the study, researchers included 63,411 women aged 30 or older without CVD.

Cervical Screening Will Only be Needed Three Times With HPV Vaccine
Now with the HPV vaccine, screening will only be needed three times in women. The new programme called HPV primary testing is set to be introduced in England by December 2019.

Source-IANS