high blood pressure

Possible Link Between HPV and Heart Disease

Source: CVTNews.ca We already know HPV, or human papillomavirus, can cause cervical cancer. It's also known to cause some kinds of oral cancer. But could HPV also cause heart disease? An intriguing new study is drawing a link. The study found that women who are known to be infected with cancer-causing strains of the virus may be at increased risk for cardiovascular disease and stroke -- even when they have none of the usual heart disease risk factors. The study authors say their research is one of the first to investigate a potential link between heart disease and HPV, which is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections. The Public Health Agency of Canada estimates that more than 70 per cent of sexually-active Canadian men and women will have a sexually transmitted HPV infection at some point in their lives. They say they began the study because they wanted to know why some people have heart attacks even though they have none of the usual risk factors, like high cholesterol or high blood pressure. About 20 per cent of patients with heart disease lack risk factors, which has left open the possibility that underlying "nontraditional" causes might be involved in the disease. If there is indeed a link between the virus and heart disease, it could have a number of implications. It would mean that doctors would have to monitor patients with HPV to help prevent heart attack and stroke. As well, there is the possibility that the HPV vaccine [...]

Oral Cancer Foundation News Team - A2011-10-26T10:59:28-07:00October, 2011|Oral Cancer News|

“Snus causes cancer” – health institute

Source: thelocal.se Author: Staff Swedish snus causes cancer and increases the risk of death from heart disease, according to the National Institute of Public Health. The warning, which will concern many Swedes who have turned to snus as a healthier nicotine alternative to smoking, is based on the institute's analysis of epidemiological and experimental studies carried out by the Karolinska Institutein recent years. Certain studies indicate that snus can also increase the risk of high blood pressure and diabetes, and that children could be born prematurely if mothers use snus during pregnancy. However, the Institute of Public Health said in its report that there is not yet enough evidence to be certain of the effect on births. The institute said that its analysis showed that using snus increased the risk of cancer of the pancreas and of the mouth. But there are no research results suggesting that it causes other forms of cancer. And while there is no evidence to suggest that using snus actually increases the risk of developing heart disease, it is clear that it does increase the risk of death for a person affected, for example, by a heart attack. The details of how much snus is dangerous are not yet known, said Göran Pershagen, professor at the Institute of Environmental Medicine at Karolinska. "There's not enough evidence to say how much the risk increases. But it is clear that snus is not unhazardous - pancreatic cancer is a relatively common form of cancer with a very poor survival rate," he [...]

Charlotte Parker2010-03-01T12:07:28-07:00March, 2010|Oral Cancer News|