Human papillomavirus infection and cardiovascular mortality: a cohort study

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs are the leading cause of global mortality despite advances in managing conventional risk factors, with many cases occurring in individuals without these risks. This highlights the need to identify additional modifiable determinants. Human papillomavirus (HPV), a common sexually transmitted infection and established cause of anogenital cancers, has been increasingly linked to atherosclerotic CVD. However, evidence on long-term cardiovascular outcomes remains limited. This large cohort study of Korean women examined the association between high-risk HPV infection and CVD mortality, with consideration of potential effect modification by obesity.