Link between periodontal disease and RA?

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Link between periodontal disease and RA?

Rheumawire

Jul 5, 2004

Zosia Chustecka

Berlin, Germany - " It's becoming increasingly difficult to ignore the

relationship between periodontitis and rheumatoid arthritis [RA], " say a

group of researchers from Egypt. At the recent EULAR 2004 meeting, they

reported a study showing that RA patients have a greater likelihood of

significant periodontal diseases, including more gingival bleeding and

calculus and more tooth and alveolar bone loss than a group of age- and

sex-matched controls [1].

" Dental health is an important parameter in the medical health of RA

sufferers and becomes particularly pertinent in this vulnerable group in

view of the limited dexterity of many patients, which leads to further

decreases in oral hygiene and makes matters worse, " says Dr Suzan

Abou-Raya (University of andria, Egypt) and colleagues. " Both

doctors and patients should be enlightened about the link between

periodontal disease and rheumatoid arthritis and about the need for good

dental health and prompt dental check-ups, " they say.

The study compared 50 patients (10 males, 40 females, mean age 48.7

years) who had rheumatoid arthritis for a mean of 5.5 years with a group

of 50 controls matched for age and sex. Smokers and diabetics were

excluded from the study.

A detailed dental examination, carried out blindly, found periodontal

disease in 37 RA patients (74%) compared with 11 of the controls (22%).

The severity of periodontal disease correlated positively with RA

disease duration, with the number of tender and swollen joints, and also

with the biochemical measures of erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR)

and C-reactive protein (CRP). In addition, there was a significant

correlation between the degree of alveolar bone loss and the percentage

of erosions scored radiographically in RA patients (r=0.4141, p<0.003).

Periodontal disease and rheumatoid arthritis have similar pathologies,

so a better understanding of the biological processes common to both

diseases may help in finding new ways to treat with medications that

modify the body's responses to inflammation, the researchers comment.

Source

Abou-Raya S, Abou-Raya A, Kheir H A-El. Periodontal

disease and rheumatoid arthritis: is there a link? Presented at: EULAR

2004; Berlin, Germany; June 9-12, 2004. Abstract THU0283

I'll tell you where to go!

Mayo Clinic in Rochester

http://www.mayoclinic.org/rochester

s Hopkins Medicine

http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org