Is Herpes Actually Related To Angina Risk?

Angina is a form of chest pain that is the consequence of blocked blood vessels. It strikes more than 3 million people in the United States of America each year, causing discomfort and sometimes even causing a heart attack. A new, Canadian research has shown some devastating points: there happens to be a slightly higher chance of angina in some people who have a strain of herpes virus in their genes. Apparently, these people have thrice the risk of facing angina when compared to others. But here is the catch: the study is talking about just 1% of the world’s human population.

Angina PectorisLouis Flamand of Laval University of Quebec has said that there is no way to get rid of this problem since it is literally embedded in the person’s genetic make-up. But he also mentioned that preventive measures can be taken: these people could be observed for any progresses in any type of cardiovascular disease. Louis also added that he believes that new-borns should be tested for this, as part of a new routine. Louis mentioned that this risk could come about before the child is even born. According to him, when the new-born is just an egg or a sperm, it could be infected with that specific type of herpes virus. This virus is specifically known to cause a disease during childhood, called roseola.

Louis and his team carried out a study that involved 20000 people aged 40 t0 69 years old. This age range was observed since it is best known to have individuals with cardiovascular diseases of different types. After checking statistics properly, Louis and the team found that whoever had the genetic condition had from 3 to 10% chances of having angina. According to these experts, this strain of herpes virus helps clog the blood vessels, along with destructing the linings of arteries in the body.

Dr. Hugh Watkins of the University of Oxford disagrees with Louis; he says that new-borns need not be tested. According to Hugh, this strain of the herpes virus has just a tiny effect on angina. However, Louis has stated that he and his team wish to figure out how else this herpes virus affects the body.

For more questions about herpes, please read this post Top 10 Questions About Herpes Answered.