High-risk HPV in women increases risk of death from heart disease

In this prospective cohort study of young and middle-aged cardiovascular disease (CVD)-free Korean women, researchers found that women with high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) had higher death rates from CVD, specifically atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) and ischemic heart disease (IHD), with a more pronounced trend in obese individuals.

• As part of a health examination, 163,250 CVD-free Korean women (mean age: 40.2 years) underwent HR-HPV screening and were tracked for up to 17 years (median: 8.6 years).
• During 1,380,953 person-years of follow-up, 134 CVD deaths occurred, with a mortality rate of 9.1 per 10^5 person-years for HR-HPV(-) women and 14.9 per 10^5 person-years for HR-HPV(+) women.
• After adjustment for traditional CVD risk factors and confounders, the hazard ratios (HRs)(95% confidence interval [CI]) for ASCVD, IHD, and stroke mortality in women with HR-HPV infection compared with those without infection were 3.91 (1.85-8.26), 3.74 (1.53-9.14), and 5.86 (0.86-40.11), respectively.
• The association between HR-HPV infection and ASCVD mortality was stronger in women with obesity than in those without (P for interaction = .006), with corresponding HRs (95% CI) of 4.81 (1.55-14.93) for obese women and 2.86 (1.04-7.88) for non-obese women.

Source:

Cheong HS, et al. (2024, February 7). Eur Heart J. Human papillomavirus infection and cardiovascular mortality: a cohort study. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38321359/