Tuesday, June 16, 2015

Herpes could be bad for the heart

Scimex: A Canadian and US study, involving nearly 20,000 people, has found that individuals with a copy of the human herpesvirus 6 genome in their DNA, are three times as likely to suffer from angina, a common symptom of heart disease, as those without the virus. The researchers also found that, compared with others, those who suffer from angina, and have the virus, have significantly shorter telomeres - the DNA at the ends of chromosomes that are linked to many ageing-related diseases. According to a study of nearly 20,000 participants, individuals with a copy of the human herpesvirus 6 (HHV-6) genome integrated into their chromosomes are three times as likely to suffer from angina as those without the virus, and individuals having both angina and integrated HHV-6 have significantly shorter telomeres than individuals without HHV-6.