Article Source: The Harvard Gazette / 2009
Cytomegalovirus affects upwards of 99 percent of adults worldwide.
A new study suggests for the first time that cytomegalovirus (CMV), a common viral infection affecting between 60 percent and 99 percent of adults worldwide, is a cause of high blood pressure, a leading risk factor for heart disease, stroke, and kidney disease.
The study, led by researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) and published in the May 15 issue of PLoS Pathogens, further demonstrates that when coupled with other risk factors for heart disease, the virus can lead to the development of atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries.
“CMV infects humans all over the world,” explains co-senior author Clyde Crumpacker, an investigator in the Division of Infectious Diseases at BIDMC and professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. “This new discovery may eventually provide doctors with a whole new approach to treating hypertension, with antiviral therapies or vaccines becoming part of the prescription.”.
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