Post by hafeezanwar on May 15, 2009 12:51:26 GMT
Common virus causes high BP
A common viral infection affecting over 60 to 99% of adults globally can cause high blood pressure which is a major cause of heart disease, stroke and kidney ailments, a new study has found.
The researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) at the Harvard Medical School found that when coupled with other risk factors for heart disease, the cytomegalovirus (CMV), can lead to the development of atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries.
“CMV infects humans all over the world. We found that CMV infection alone led to an increase in high blood pressure, and when combined with a high-cholesterol diet, the infection actually induced atherosclerosis in a mouse aorta,” said Clyde Crumpacker co-senior author of the study.
“This suggests that further research needs to be directed at viral causes of vascular injury. Some cases of hypertension might be treated or prevented by antiviral therapy or a vaccine against CMV,” she adds.
A member of the herpes virus family, CMV affects all age groups and is the root cause of congenital infection, mononucleosis and can cause severe infection in transplant patients.
Most adults come in contact of the virus by the age of 40 though they may not exhibit symptoms until the immune system is compromised.
Previous epidemiological studies had determined that the CMV virus was linked to restenosis in cardiac transplant patients, a situation in which the heart’s arteries “reblock”.
The virus has also been linked to the development of atherosclerosis, the hardening of the heart’s arteries.
But, in both cases, the mechanism behind these developments has remained a mystery.
The study conducted on mice “strongly suggests that the CMV infection and the high-cholesterol diet might be working together to cause atherosclerosis,” said Crumpacker.
“Viruses have the ability to turn on human genes and, in this case, the CMV virus is enhancing expression of renin, an enzyme directly involved in causing high blood pressure,” she said.
--Agencies
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AQLEEM HIND KE HAIN QUTUB MERE SARKAR
SHAH AFZAL BIABANI, FAQAR JEELANI
LIFE AND WORKS / ON THE BELOW SITE
pashakzj.wordpress.com/2009/05/07/shah-afzal-biabani/
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A common viral infection affecting over 60 to 99% of adults globally can cause high blood pressure which is a major cause of heart disease, stroke and kidney ailments, a new study has found.
The researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) at the Harvard Medical School found that when coupled with other risk factors for heart disease, the cytomegalovirus (CMV), can lead to the development of atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries.
“CMV infects humans all over the world. We found that CMV infection alone led to an increase in high blood pressure, and when combined with a high-cholesterol diet, the infection actually induced atherosclerosis in a mouse aorta,” said Clyde Crumpacker co-senior author of the study.
“This suggests that further research needs to be directed at viral causes of vascular injury. Some cases of hypertension might be treated or prevented by antiviral therapy or a vaccine against CMV,” she adds.
A member of the herpes virus family, CMV affects all age groups and is the root cause of congenital infection, mononucleosis and can cause severe infection in transplant patients.
Most adults come in contact of the virus by the age of 40 though they may not exhibit symptoms until the immune system is compromised.
Previous epidemiological studies had determined that the CMV virus was linked to restenosis in cardiac transplant patients, a situation in which the heart’s arteries “reblock”.
The virus has also been linked to the development of atherosclerosis, the hardening of the heart’s arteries.
But, in both cases, the mechanism behind these developments has remained a mystery.
The study conducted on mice “strongly suggests that the CMV infection and the high-cholesterol diet might be working together to cause atherosclerosis,” said Crumpacker.
“Viruses have the ability to turn on human genes and, in this case, the CMV virus is enhancing expression of renin, an enzyme directly involved in causing high blood pressure,” she said.
--Agencies
=============================
AQLEEM HIND KE HAIN QUTUB MERE SARKAR
SHAH AFZAL BIABANI, FAQAR JEELANI
LIFE AND WORKS / ON THE BELOW SITE
pashakzj.wordpress.com/2009/05/07/shah-afzal-biabani/
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