title: Cytomegalovirus infection is associated with an increase in systolic blood pressure in older individuals.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a chronic infection that is widely distributed in the population. CMV infects a range of tissues, including endothelium, and viral replication is suppressed by the host immune system. Infection is associated with increased risk of mortality from vascular disease in older people, but the mechanisms behind this have not been determined.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  We investigated the association between CMV infection and cardiovascular phenotype in a cohort of healthy elderly donors.
  
  
  METHODS
  CMV serostatus and cardiovascular parameters were determined in the Lothian Birth cohort, which comprises 1091 individuals aged 70 years in whom many environmental, biochemical and radiological correlates of vascular function have been determined.
  
  
  METHODS
  CMV serostatus was determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay and correlated with a range of biochemical and phenotypic measures.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sixty-five percent of participants were CMV seropositive, which indicates chronic infection. The mean sitting systolic blood pressure (SBP) was 149.2 mmHg in CMV seropositive individuals compared with 146.2 mmHg in CMV seronegative subjects (SD 18.7 vs. 19.7; P < 0.017). This association between CMV infection and SBP was not attenuated after adjustment for a wide range of biological and socio-economic factors.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These data show that CMV infection is associated with an increase in SBP in individuals at age 70 years. The magnitude is comparable to environmental variables such as obesity, diabetes or high salt intake. This is the first evidence to show that a chronic infection may be an important determinant of blood pressure and could have significant implications for the future management of hypertension.
authors.affiliation: From the 1Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, B15 2TT UK.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Firth
authors.affiliation: Geriatric Medicine Unit, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH16, 4SB UK.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Harrison
authors.affiliation: Geriatric Medicine Unit, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH16, 4SB UK.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ritchie
authors.affiliation: Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, Edinburgh, UK.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wardlaw
authors.affiliation: University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2WB UK.
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Ferro
authors.affiliation: Geriatric Medicine Unit, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH16, 4SB UK.|Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH8 9JZ, UK.|Alzheimer Scotland Dementia Research Centre, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH8 9JZ, UK.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Starr
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH8 9JZ, UK.|Alzheimer Scotland Dementia Research Centre, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, EH8 9JZ, UK.|Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
authors.forename: I J
authors.initials: IJ
authors.lastname: Deary
authors.affiliation: From the 1 Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, B15 2TT UK.|University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2WB UK.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Moss
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001794:Blood Pressure; D001795:Blood Pressure Determination / Q000379:methods; D003587:Cytomegalovirus / Q000276:immunology*; D003586:Cytomegalovirus Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D019468:Disease Management; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment / Q000379:methods; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy / Q000821:virology; D008297:Male; D012698:Serologic Tests / Q000379:methods; D006113:United Kingdom