Infections have long been known to be connected with cardiovascular disease (CVD). There is research that indicates that some infections can directly affect the heart. However, we wanted to find out if the occurrence of infection is connected to CVD mortality.

We analyzed data on adults (≥ 20 years) from the 1999–2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, which is a population-based survey conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics, with mortality data obtained through December 2019. We defined current infection as positive for various respiratory infections (head cold, chest cold, flu, pneumonia, ear infection) through self-reported data. Complex Samples Cox regression was used to determine the relationship of current infection occurrence and CVD-related mortality.

Data was available for 880 adults in the United States population. The percentage of individuals who experienced mortality after current infection was higher than those who did not have current infection. The overall unadjusted hazard ratio for current infection to no current infection was 3.38 (2.49-4.59, p < 0.01). The age- and sex-adjusted HR remained strong at 2.81 (CI 0.78-10.18, p = 0.11) among adults after the results were controlled for medical (depression, obesity, C-reactive Protein) and demographic (poverty-income-ratio, ethnicity, gender, age) risk factors.

There is a significant relationship between the occurrence of current infection and CVD mortality among all adults. Consequently, individuals with infection need better access to treating infections through services and overall healthcare. Health care professionals should be made aware of gaps in prevention of cardiovascular disease.