So, like, apparently this HPV thing is causing a bunch of cancers, like 38,000 a year. Crazy, right? And get this, it’s not just cervical and throat cancers. Nope, recent research is saying that HPV might also up the chances of getting heart disease. Like, what? A study with nearly 250,000 peeps found that those who tested positive for HPV were like 33 percent more likely to get cardiovascular disease. Wild, right?
Now, this dude Stephen Akinfenwa, who’s doing his residency at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, is all about figuring out if the HPV vaccine can also lower the risk of heart disease. The vaccine has been around since 2006 and can stop like 90 percent of cervical cancers. It protects against nine strains of HPV, even the nasty ones that cause cervical cancer and genital warts. The CDC suggests that kids should get two shots at ages 11 or 12 or three shots if they’re older. It works best if you get it before getting down and dirty, if you know what I mean.
Seems like the vaccine is doing a pretty good job, though. Cervical cancer deaths in young women dropped like 65 percent from 2012 to 2019. That’s pretty impressive, right? And now, hearing that it might also help prevent heart disease is pretty cool. Akinfenwa is all optimistic about it, calling it “good news” and hoping it can be a “powerful tool for prevention.”
But, like, hold up. This study hasn’t been published yet, so maybe we shouldn’t get too ahead of ourselves. The findings were presented at a conference, not in a peer-reviewed journal. They looked at studies from 2011 to 2024, mostly with women, but there was one with men too. Turns out, HPV might be linked to strokes in men undergoing radiation therapy for head and neck cancer.
HPV is everywhere, man. It’s like the most common STI in the U.S. Crazy stuff. Like, over 90 percent of dudes and over 80 percent of chicks get it at some point. And half of those infections are with the high-risk strains that can cause all sorts of cancers downstairs and in the throat and stuff.
Parents are kinda iffy about the HPV vaccine, though. Some of them are like, “Nah, my kid won’t be doing the deed as a teenager.” Only about 61 percent of teens are up to date on their shots. But hey, even without a direct study on the vaccine and heart disease, it seems like a good idea to get vaccinated. At least that’s what the experts are saying.
Some peeps are a little skeptical about the HPV-heart disease connection, though. They think there’s still a lot of research to be done before we can say for sure that HPV causes heart issues. “Association is different than causality,” they say. But who knows, right?
So, like, how does HPV even mess with the heart? Well, it’s not like the virus is directly infecting your ticker or veins. It’s more about the inflammation it causes as your immune system tries to fight it off. That inflammation can mess with your blood vessels and lead to all sorts of heart problems. Nasty stuff.
There are lots of bugs out there that can mess with your heart, though. Like, the flu and even COVID can do it. Untreated strep throat can lead to heart issues too. Vaccines are like your best bet in avoiding these problems. They can stop infections from setting off inflammation that messes with your heart.
And hey, it’s not just the HPV vaccine that could be doing more than we thought. Turns out the shingles vaccine might help with dementia and the tuberculosis vaccine could prevent other diseases too. Vaccines are like the superheroes of the medical world, man.
So, who knows? Maybe the HPV vaccine is more than just a one-trick pony. It could be helping out with heart disease too. But we’ll have to wait and see. Research is still ongoing, and there’s a lot we don’t know yet. But hey, it’s definitely something to keep an eye on.
