Effect and Clinical Characteristics of Human Cytomegalovirus Infection on Vascular Inflammation in Patients With Coronary Atherosclerotic Heart Disease

This study evaluated the impact of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection on vascular inflammation and clinical characteristics in patients with coronary atherosclerotic heart disease (CHD). A total of 180 CHD patients with HCMV infection (research group) and 90 CHD patients without HCMV infection (control group) were enrolled. Serum levels of hs-CRP, TNF-α, IL-6, and Lp-PLA2 were measured, and clinical data were collected. The research group showed significantly higher inflammatory marker levels than controls (p < 0.05). Mean viral load was 4.58 ± 1.01 copies/mL, and high-load patients had higher marker levels than low-load patients (p < 0.05). Significant between-group differences were observed in CHD severity, number of diseased vessels, stenosis degree, cardiac function, angina grade, and carotid atherosclerosis (p < 0.05). HCMV viral load was positively correlated with all inflammatory markers and clinical severity indices (p < 0.05). These findings indicate that HCMV infection is associated with exacerbated vascular inflammation and worse CHD progression, suggesting the need for timely antiviral intervention.