Gum infection may risk heart arrhythmia: Research

Periodontitis or gum disease can cause a slew of dental problems ranging from foul breath to bleeding and tooth loss Hiroshima University researchers have discovered that it may be linked to far more serious disorders elsewhere in the body the heartIn a study published in JACC Clinical Electrophysiology the team found a significant correlation between periodontitis and fibrosis scarring to an appendage of the hearts left atrium that can lead to an irregular heartbeat called atrial fibrillation in a sample of 76 patients with cardiac diseasePeriodontitis is associated with a longstanding inflammation and inflammation plays a key role in atrial fibrosis progression and atrial fibrillation pathogenesis said first author Shunsuke Miyauchi assistant professor with the Hiroshima Universitys Health Service Center He is also affiliated with the universitys Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences adding We hypothesized that periodontitis exacerbates atrial fibrosis This histological study of left atrial appendages aimed to clarify the relationship between clinical periodontitis status and degree of atrial fibrosisThe left atrial appendages were surgically removed from the patients and the researchers analyzed the tissue to establish the correlation between the severity of the atrial fibrosis and the severity of the gum disease They found that the worse the periodontitis the worse the fibrosis suggesting that the inflammation of gums may intensify inflammation and disease in the heartThis study provides basic evidence that periodontitis can aggravate atrial fibrosis and can be a novel modifiable risk factor for atrial fibrillation said corresponding author Yukiko Nakano professor of cardiovascular medicine in Hiroshima Universitys Graduate School of Biomedical and Health SciencesAccording to Nakano in addition to improving other risk factors such as weight activity levels and tobacco and alcohol use periodontal care could aid in comprehensive atrial fibrillation management However she cautioned that this study did not establish a causal relationship meaning that while gum disease and atrial fibrosis degrees of severity appear connected researchers have not found that one definitively leads to the otherFurther evidence is required for establishing that periodontitis contributes to the atrial fibrosis in a causal manner and that periodontal care can alter fibrosis Nakano said adding One of our goals is to confirm that periodontitis is a modifiable risk factor for atrial fibrillation and to promote dental specialists participation in comprehensive atrial fibrillation management Periodontitis is an easily modifiable target with lower cost among known atrial fibrillation risk factors Thus the achievement of this study series may bring benefits for many people worldwideNext the researchers said they hope to conduct future clinical trials to clarify if periodontal intervention reduces atrial fibrillation occurrence and improves patient outcomesAlso ReadReducing calories might be more effective than intermittent fastingThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever