Study: Virus may trigger high blood pressure

Sunday May 17, 2009 (foodconsumer.org) -- Reuters is reporting on a remarkable new study confirming that high blood pressure may be caused by a herpes virus called cytomegalovirus, or CMV.

CMV causes inflammation in the blood vessels, which over the long term can trigger high blood pressure. A CMV infection, coupled with a fatty diet also causes hardening of the arteries.

One billion people worldwide are afflicted with high blood pressure; the results of this study over the long term may completely revamp how high blood pressure patients are treated.

The study was conducted by Dr. Clyde Crumpacker of Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and is the first study that proves that the virus causes a perpetual infection in the blood stream, thereby prolonging inflammation.

Crumpacker tested 4 groups of mice that had been exposed to CMV; two were given a standard diet, and the other two were given a high fat diet. Of the mice on the high fat diet, 30% showed signs of atherosclerosis.

CMV is very common; WebMD asserts that by the age of 40, 80% of the United States population has been infected by it. Transmission can come from urine, saliva, and other bodily fluids of an infected person.

Before the current study, it was believed that most people with healthy immune systems remained largely unaffected by the virus. However, what was once thought to be merely an “opportunistic” virus, or one that takes control of those who have compromised immune systems, now appears to be more of an insidious predator within the body.

Enthused by the results of the study, Dr. Crumpacker states that in the future, hypertension may be treated with an anti-viral medication, along with a low fat diet.

(By Rachel Stockton, and edited by Heather Kelley)