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A new study suggests for the first time that cytomegalovirus(1) (CMV), a common viral infection(2) affecting between 60 and 99 percent of adults worldwide(3), is a cause of high blood pressure(4).

Led by researchers(5) at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) and published in the May 15, 2009 issue of PLoS Pathogens(6), the findings also show that in conjunction with(7) other risk factors(8) the virus(9) can lead to the development of atherosclerosis(10), or hardening(11) of the arteries(12).

“CMV infects(13) humans commonly(14) all over the world,” explains co-senior author(15) Clyde Crumpacker, MD(16), an investigator(17) in the Division of Infectious Diseases(18) at BIDMC and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. “This new discovery may eventually provide doctors with a whole new approach to treating hypertension(19), with anti-viral therapies(20) or vaccines(21) becoming part of the prescription(22).”

A member of the herpes virus family(23), CMV affects all age groups and is the source of congenital(24) infection, mononucleosis(25), and severe infection in transplant patients(26). By the age of 40, most adults will have contracted(27) the virus, though many will never exhibit symptoms(28). Once it enters the body, CMV usually remains latent(29) in the body until the immune system(30) is compromised(31).

Previous epidemiological(32) studies had determined that the CMV virus was linked to restenosis(33) in cardiac transplant(34) patients, and atherosclerosis, but the mechanism behind these findings remained a mystery. This new study brought together a team of researchers from a variety of disciplines(35) – infectious diseases, cardiology(36), allergy(37) and pathology(38) – to look at this issue.