Women with HPV have two times the risk of heart attack and stroke
November 1, 2011
Comments on this story
(1)
Debra Black
STAFF REPORTER
Women with human papillomavirus, more commonly known as HPV, may be two times more likely to have a heart attack or stroke, according to a new study published in the Journal of American College of Cardiology.
But what’s not known is why, said its senior author Dr. Kenichi Fujise, a cardiologist at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas. So Fujise advises women with HPV shouldn’t panic just yet.
This is a preliminary study, he said in an interview with the Star. And it’s not known if there is a direct link or an association between human papillomavirus and heart attack and stroke, said Fujise, the director of the division of cardiology at UTMB.
HPV causes cancer of the cervix, vulva, penis, anus and throat. But so far Fujise can’t say equivocally that it also causes heart disease and stroke.
The medical researcher hypothesizes that the relationship may indeed be causal, but he won’t know until more studies are done.
His theory is that HPV may be short-circuiting the way a gene called p53 works. Fujise said that normally that gene and its protein protects against cancer and may stop the thickening of the arteries. Short-circuiting this gene may lead to inflammation which in turn may cause the walls of the arteries to thicken and cause heart attacks and strokes.
Fujise and his team looked at a database of 2,500 women, screening for women who had HPV. Then they began to look and see if there was a higher rate of heart attack and stroke in those women.
“To my surprise — yes, there was a strong link between HPV infection and heart attack and stroke,” said Fujise in a phone interview. “You have 2.4 times higher risk of having a heart attack or stroke if you have an HPV infection.”
But since the relationship between the two is unclear, Fujise plans to conduct another study. This time it will look at a larger database, including men who have HPV. “Since males tend to get more atherosclerosis and heart attacks it is important to test the hypothesis that HPV does the same in men.”
If that proves to be the case, Fujise and his team will begin to investigate what is the mechanism by which HPV causes the thickening of the arteries. “That way we can come up with a strategy or new medication that prevents HPV induced thickening in the future.”
One possible treatment may be the HPV vaccine. But that’s still a long way away. Fujise’s advice to women who have HPV and fear heart attack or stroke:
“You don’t have to worry about it right now. It’s a newly developed link and we need to do more research. Continue current medication, but if you have chest pain have it looked at closely, because if you have HPV you may be predisposed to heart attack and stroke.”
Featured Sponsored Listings