A new study provides evidence that human papillomavirus (HPV) related cervical precancers are linked to a higher risk of heart disease. It is hypothesized that HPV affects vascular inflammation and atherosclerosis, which can lead to cardiovascular disease.

In other words, HPV-related cervical precancers not only increase the risk of cancer, but also HPV increase the risk of heart disease. And in case you were wondering, the HPV vaccine prevents HPV infections, greatly reducing the risk of cervical cancer and possibly the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

This post will explain what HPV and the HPV vaccine are, and dissect the new study.

All about HPV and the HPV vaccine

I know I cut and paste this section into every article I write about HPV vaccines, but it’s the first step to HPV vaccine myth debunking. Some readers may be researching the vaccine for the first time, and this provides the basics about the disease and vaccine.

However, I try to update this section when necessary with new information about either the disease or the vaccine. If you’ve read this section 47 times, skip to the next section where I discuss the key points of this article.

Genital and oral human papillomavirus (HPV) infections are the most common sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in the USA. HPV is generally transmitted from personal contact during vaginal, anal, or oral sex.

It is critical to note that there are more than 150 strains or subtypes of HPV that can infect humans; however, only 40 of these strains are linked to one or more different cancers. Moreover, of those 40 strains, most are fairly rare.

Although the early symptoms of HPV infections aren’t serious and many HPV infections resolve themselves without long-term harm, HPV infections are causally linked to many types of cancers in men and women. According to current medical research, here are some of the cancers that are linked to HPV:

• Cervical cancer
• Vulvar cancer
• Vaginal cancer
• Anal cancer
• Oropharyngeal cancer (throat cancer)
• Penile cancer

In addition, there is some evidence that HPV infections are causally linked to skin and prostate cancers. The link to skin cancer is still preliminary, but there is much stronger evidence that HPV is linked to many prostate cancers.

HPV is believed to cause nearly 5% of all new cancers across the world, making it almost as dangerous as tobacco in that respect. According to published research, roughly 42 million persons in the USA are infected with disease-associated HPV, and 13 million persons acquire a new infection each year.

Each year in the United States, about 47,984 new cases of cancer are found in parts of the body where human papillomavirus (HPV) is often found — 26,280 among females, and 21,704 among males. 

Most individuals don’t even know they have the infection until the onset of cancer. The CDC states that over 37,800 HPV-related cancers are diagnosed in the USA every year. In 2022, there were approximately 1,505,394 HPV-related cancer cases and 755,303 deaths worldwide, with cervical cancer being the primary cause, accounting for 14.1 per 100,000 people.

There were two HPV vaccines on the world market before 2014. GSK, also known as GlaxoSmithKline, produced Cervarix, a bivalent vaccine that protects only against two HPV strains. Cervarix has been withdrawn from the US market (although available in many other markets) because of competition from the quadrivalent, which immunizes against four different HPV strains, and the 9-valent, which protects against nine HPV strains, Gardasil vaccines.

Merck manufactures Gardasil, the most prevalent HPV vaccine. The first version of the vaccine, quadrivalent Gardasil, targeted the two HPV genotypes known to cause about 70% of cervical cancer and two other HPV genotypes that cause genital warts. In Europe and other markets, Gardasil is known as Silgard.

The newer Gardasil 9, approved by the FDA in 2014, is a 9-valent vaccine that protects against HPV types 6, 11, 16, 18, 31, 33, 45, 52, and 58. It targets the four HPV strains found in the quadrivalent version, along with five additional ones that are linked to cervical and other HPV-related cancers. Both versions of Gardasil are prophylactic, meant to be given to females or males before they become exposed to possible HPV infection through intimate contact.

Gardasil is one of the easiest and best ways to prevent a few dangerous and, to abuse the definition slightly, common cancers that afflict men and women. Without a doubt, the HPV vaccine prevents cancer.

In the United States, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) currently recommends that preteen girls and boys aged 11 or 12 receive the HPV vaccine. The HPV vaccine is also recommended for teenage girls and young women up to the age of 26 who did not receive it when they were younger, and boys and young men up to the age of 21.

HPV is a sexually transmitted disease. HPV causes 37,800 cancers a year in the USA and over 1.5 million worldwide. The HPV vaccine prevents one from becoming infected by HPV, which means you are protected from these cancers.

HPV-related cervical pre-cancers and heart health

In a paper published on 19 February 2026 in JAMA Oncology, Laila Hubbert, MD, PhD, Linköping University, Norrköping, Sweden, and colleagues, used a database that included all patients younger than 25 years as recorded in the Swedish National Cancer Register (1958-2021), Hubbert and team identified females ages 15 to 24 years with cervical HSIL (high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion of the cervix caused by HPV) and compared them with controls matched by sex, age, and residence.

The study included 29,960 female adolescents and young adults (median age 23 years) with prior cervical HSIL and 149,606 matched controls.

Here are the key results:

• Individuals with a prior cervical HSIL had a 20% higher risk of cardiovascular disease, including heart attacks and stroke.
• They had a 52% higher all-cause mortality and 49% higher cardiovascular mortality.
• They also had a 58% higher risk of myocardial infarction, 38% higher risk of heart failure, and 42% higher risk of cerebrovascular disease.
• Risks were increased if the patient’s mother and/or father had any diagnosis of cardiovascular disease

The authors concluded:

This nationwide study demonstrated that AYAs (adolescents and young adults) with prior cervical HSIL faced increased CVD (cardiovascular disease) risk and mortality compared with matched controls.

Summary

Cervical precancers, or high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions, that were associated with HPV infection were hypothesized to affect vascular inflammation and atherosclerosis. This study of females, ages 15 to 24, with prior cervical HSIL, shows a significantly increased risk of cardiovascular disease and mortality.

Anti-vaxxers like to claim that cervical cancer is easily treated, so there’s no need for the HPV vaccine. This study shuts down that trope, because even HPV-related cervical precancers increase the risk of death from cardiovascular diseases.

This study should be at the top of the list of discussion points when deciding to get the HPV vaccine. It is also important to remember that HPV is not just related to cervical cancer, but many other cancers in both men and women. Although no study has been completed, there may be an increased risk of cardiovascular disease in men who had an HPV-related cancer.

HPV is much more dangerous than I once thought. And the vaccine is a safe and effective way to prevent the infection. Get the vaccine!

Citations

• Hytting J, Södling J, Hytting A, Rodriguez-Wallberg KA, Hedayati E, Mallios P, Holmberg JL, Keskisärkkä R, Singull M, Hubbert L. Cardiovascular Events in Women With Prior Cervical High-Grade Squamous Intraepithelial Lesion. JAMA Oncol. 2026 Feb 19:e256504. doi: 10.1001/jamaoncol.2025.6504. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 41712234; PMCID: PMC12921560.

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