[{“box”:0,”content”:”n[if 992 equals=”Open Access”]n
n
Open Access
nn
n
n[/if 992]n[if 2704 equals=”Yes”]n
nThis is an unedited manuscript accepted for publication and provided as an Article in Press for early access at the author’s request. The article will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and galley proof review before final publication. Please be aware that errors may be identified during production that could affect the content. All legal disclaimers of the journal apply.n
n[/if 2704]n
n
n
nn
n
Alisha Arzoo,
n t
n
n[/foreach]
n
n[if 2099 not_equal=”Yes”]n
- [foreach 286] [if 1175 not_equal=””]n t
- Researcher, MSc Medical Virology, Jamia Hamdard University, Hamdard Nagar, New Delhi -110062, India
n[/if 1175][/foreach]
n[/if 2099][if 2099 equals=”Yes”][/if 2099]n
Abstract
n
n
nHuman papillomavirus (HPV) is best known for its oncogenic potential, yet a growing body of evidence suggests that persistent HPV infection may also contribute to cardiovascular disease (CVD). In 2025, pooled analyses and conference reports galvanized attention by estimating that HPV‐positive individuals have ~40% higher risk of CVD and approximately double the risk of coronary artery disease (CAD) compared with HPV‐negative peers, even after adjustment for traditional risk factors. These findings build on earlier cohorts linking high‐risk HPV (hrHPV) to incident CVD and, more recently, to CVD mortality in population studies. Mechanistic hypotheses include chronic low‐grade inflammation, endothelial dysfunction, immune and metabolic reprogramming driven by HPV oncoproteins (E6/E7), and even more provocatively possible direct vascular involvement, with small studies detecting HPV DNA and proteins within atherosclerotic plaques. Although causality is not proven, the totality of data positions HPV as a candidate “non-traditional” risk factor that may help explain residual CVD risk beyond smoking, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and diabetes.This review synthesizes epidemiologic signals, pathophysiologic plausibility, and early translational observations connecting HPV to atherosclerotic disease and stroke. It also considers the emerging question of whether HPV vaccination might confer cardiometabolic spillover benefits. We highlight knowledge gaps (temporal dynamics, genotype specificity, sex differences, and confounding by sexual health and socioeconomic determinants), outline practical, low-regret clinical responses (opportunistic vaccination, vigilant risk factor control in hrHPV-positive adults), and propose a research agenda spanning prospective cohorts, plaque viromics, and randomized vaccine-outcome trials. While definitive causality awaits, clinicians and public health teams should recognize HPV as a potential contributor to CVD risk and leverage existing prevention tools particularly vaccination and aggressive management of modifiable riskswhile the science matures.nn
n
Keywords: Human papillomavirus; cardiovascular disease; atherosclerosis; endothelial dysfunction; inflammation; coronary artery disease; HPV vaccination; residual risk.
n[if 424 equals=”Regular Issue”][This article belongs to International Journal of Virus Studies ]
n
n
n
n
nAlisha Arzoo. [if 2584 equals=”][226 wpautop=0 striphtml=1][else]HPV and Cardiovascular Risk: Unpacking a Novel Link Between Viral Infection and Heart Disease[/if 2584]. International Journal of Virus Studies. 08/09/2025; 02(02):-.
n
nAlisha Arzoo. [if 2584 equals=”][226 striphtml=1][else]HPV and Cardiovascular Risk: Unpacking a Novel Link Between Viral Infection and Heart Disease[/if 2584]. International Journal of Virus Studies. 08/09/2025; 02(02):-. Available from: https://journals.stmjournals.com/ijvs/article=08/09/2025/view=0
nn
n
n[if 992 not_equal=”Open Access”]n
n
n[/if 992]n
nn
nnnBrowse Figures
n
n
n[/if 379]
n
n
n
References n
n[if 1104 equals=””]n
- Joo EJ, Chang Y, Kwon MJ, Cho A, Cheong HS, Ryu S. High-risk human papillomavirus infection and the risk of cardiovascular disease in Korean women: a cohort study. Circ Res. 2019;124(5):747-756.
- Kim M, Chang Y, Kwon MJ, Cho A, Cheong HS, Ryu S, et al. Human papillomavirus infection and cardiovascular mortality in young and middle-aged Korean women. Eur Heart J. 2024;45(12):1072–1082. doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehae020.
- Chan NC, Lawson JS, Hirsh J. Human papilloma virus and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Eur Heart J. 2024;45(12):1083-1085.
- Tonhajzerova I, Olexova LB, Jurko A Jr, Spronck B, Jurko T, Sekaninova N, et al. Novel biomarkers of early atherosclerotic changes for personalised prevention of cardiovascular disease in cervical cancer and HPV infection. Int J Mol Sci. 2019;20(15):3720.
- Silva VM, et al. Human Papillomavirus and Coronary Artery Disease in Climacteric Women. Obstet Gynecol Int. 2019;2019:1872536.
- Lawson JS, Khanna R, Al-Ahdal MN, et al. Multiple infectious agents and the origins of atherosclerotic coronary artery disease. Front Cardiovasc Med. 2016;3:30.
- Reis F, et al. HPV infection as a risk factor for atherosclerosis: a connecting hypothesis. Med Hypotheses. 2020;144:110021.
- Zhang Y, et al. Human papillomavirus as a non-traditional cardiovascular risk factor: mechanisms and evidence. Am J Med. 2024.
- American College of Cardiology (ACC). Colorectal cancer and HPV pose increased CV risk: ACC.25 update. ACC.org News. 2025 Mar 25.
- CIDRAP. Meta-analysis adds to emerging evidence tying HPV to cardiovascular disease. CIDRAP News. 2025 Mar 25.
- Reuters Health. Health Rounds: HPV infection linked to higher heart risk (ACC.25). Reuters. 2025 Mar 26.
- ScienceDaily. Growing body of evidence links HPV with heart disease. ScienceDaily. 2025 Mar 25.
- News-Medical. New evidence suggests HPV could increase risk of coronary artery disease (ACC.25). News-Medical. 2025 Mar 25.
- Feng A, et al. The association between HPV vaccination and new-onset cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases: retrospective cohort. J Health Popul Nutr. 2025.
- Kuo HK, et al. Human Papillomavirus and Cardiovascular Disease Among U.S. Women (NHANES). J Am Coll Cardiol. 2011;58(17):2001-2006.
nn[/if 1104][if 1104 not_equal=””]n
- [foreach 1102]n t
- [if 1106 equals=””], [/if 1106][if 1106 not_equal=””],[/if 1106]
n[/foreach]
n[/if 1104]
n
nn[if 1114 equals=”Yes”]n
n[/if 1114]
n
n
n
nn
n
| Volume | 02 | |
| [if 424 equals=”Regular Issue”]Issue[/if 424][if 424 equals=”Special Issue”]Special Issue[/if 424] [if 424 equals=”Conference”][/if 424] | 02 | |
| Received | 28/08/2025 | |
| Accepted | 04/09/2025 | |
| Published | 08/09/2025 | |
| Retracted | ||
| Publication Time | 11 Days |
n
n
nn
n
PlumX Metrics
n
n
n[if 1746 equals=”Retracted”]n
[/if 1746]nnn
nnn”}]

