5 Key Takeaways

• 1

  A systematic review found several viral infections, including HIV and SARS-CoV-2, are linked to increased cardiovascular disease risk.

• 2

  SARS-CoV-2 infection was associated with higher risks of coronary heart disease and stroke in a meta-analysis of 155 studies.

• 3

  HIV infection showed a pooled adjusted risk ratio of 1.60 for coronary heart disease and 1.45 for stroke.

• 4

  Hepatitis C virus infection was linked to a two-fold higher cardiovascular disease mortality risk compared to non-infected individuals.

• 5

  The study highlighted limitations, including moderate to high heterogeneity and potential overestimation of effect sizes in smaller studies.