Study finds how gum infection is linked with risk of heart disease - Times of India
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HIROSHIMA: A gum disease called periodontitis can cause a wide range of dental problems, including bleeding gums and tooth loss. The heart, according to Hiroshima University experts, may be involved in far more serious issues elsewhere in the body. In a study published on October 31 in JACC: Clinical Electrophysiology, the team found a significant correlation between periodontitis and fibrosis - scarring to an appendage of the heart's left atrium that can lead to an irregular heartbeat called atrial fibrillation - in a sample of 76 patients with cardiac disease. "Periodontitis is associated with a long-standing 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 University's Health Service Center. He is also affiliated with the university's Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences. "We hypothesiz...