Human Cytomegalovirus and Risk of Incident Cardiovascular Disease in United Kingdom Biobank

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have yielded conflicting results on the association between human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) and cardiovascular disease (CVD). This study examined associations between HCMV and incident CVD, ischaemic heart disease (IHD) and stroke. METHODS: This study included 8531 women and men of predominantly white ethnic background, aged 40–69 without prevalent CVD from the population-based UK Biobank study, recruited between 2006–2010 with HCMV antibody levels measured. CVD was ascertained via linkage to health administrative records collected until 2020. Multivariate Cox proportional-hazards models were used to determine associations between HCMV seropositivity and incident CVD, IHD and stroke. HCMV seropositive antibody levels in tertiles were used to assess dose-response associations. RESULTS: Over a mean follow-up period of 10.2 years, HCMV seropositivity was not significantly associated with CVD (Cases = 626, Hazard Ratio [HR] =1.01, 95% confidence interval [CI], .86–1.20), IHD (Cases = 539, HR=1.03, 95% CI, .87–1.24) or stroke (Cases = 144, HR = 0.96, 95% CI, .68–1.36). There was no evidence of dose-response associations with any outcome. CONCLUSIONS: We found no significant association between HCMV seropositivity and risk of CVD, IHD or stroke. Further research within understudied populations, such as those of non-white ethnicity, and CVD subtypes is warranted.