If the virus infects 60 to 90 percent of the population and it causes high blood pressure then how come that same amount of people don’t have high blood pressure?

There maybe a link between CMV and hypertension but from everything I’ve read so far its seems the whole story is based on a lot of assumptions and conjecture.

I wouldn’t be too fast to jump on the CMV bandwagon.

Simon

P.S. How do you measure a mouse’s blood pressure anyway?
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Several vaccines against CMV are already in advanced stages of development.

I wonder how many "genetic" diseases this vaccine will prevent in future generations.

I'm not a cardiologist -- but my general understanding from talking with friends is that mice are not a great model organism, they don't really develop atherosclerosis like humans do -- although they are still widely used. Not sure how legit they would be for essential HTN. HTN caused artificially by blocking a blood vessel is very different from the majority of HTN in humans, and when humans get that type of HTN, it is relatively easy to treat.

Anyway, I wouldn't bet money on this. Sero-prevalance (or number of people infected at one point) of CMV is probably around 75% for people over 30. People have been trying to find infectious causes of athersclerosis for a long time.

Simon Foster

If the virus infects 60 to 90 percent of the population and it causes high blood pressure then how come that same amount of people don’t have high blood pressure?

Perhaps heredity, lifestyle and circumstance influence susceptability to the disease process.

The mouse study appeared to produce decisive results. Whether that translates to humans will require more research.

I wouldn't bet against CMV. Inflammation is strongly associated with heart disease, heart attacks and strokes.

"...virtually every step in atherogenesis is believed to involve substances involved in the inflammatory response and cells that are characteristic of inflammation."

According to the American Heart Association Herpes virus (CMV) is on the short list of potential triggers.

If the virus infects 60 to 90 percent of the population and it causes high blood pressure then how come that same amount of people don’t have high blood pressure?

Half of the world's humans harbor Mycobacterium tuberculosis, but 90% never have any symptoms during their whole life. The reasons for that are no doubt complex. There's also lifetime herpes prevalence vs lifetime shingles prevalance, Helicobacter pylori vs ulcer, HPV vs cervical cancer, and many more examples.

I'll keep an open mind to the possible CMV / hypertension link and see how it progresses.

If a vaccine against CMV really results in lower blood pressure I'll be first in line.

Till then I'm not setting my hopes too high.

Regards all,
Simon

I was infected with CMV around 6 months ago, at christmas time. Since then I've felt a lack of energy and general poor health, and my hair started falling out in the shower in abnormal amounts. It stresses the body and causes a lot of secondary symptoms. I could readily believe the connection. I have very mild psoriasis, and that flared up also, immediately after the illness, despite psoriasis being a "genetic" condition.