Q1:Is it true that periodontal disease may be a cause of cardiovascular diseases?

A1:
Recent epidemiological studies, initiated by NIH (National Institute of Health) in the U.S., revealed that periodontal disease is one of the risk factors for cardiac disorder.
Cardiopathy in association with periodontitis is endocarditis and ischemic heart diseases (cardiac angina and myocardial infarction). Individuals who have disorder in cardiac valves or endocardia may be caused deposition of periodontal bacteria on endocardia through blood stream and lead to give rise to bacterial endoarditis.
Recent studies call further attention to the linkage of periodontal diseases with ischemic heart diseases. Cardiac angina and myocardial infarction are developed when tubular arteries that provide oxygen to heart muscles become narrower. When a part of heart muscle becomes necrotic, it is diagnosed as cardiac angina. Myocardial infarction refers to the state of poor blood circulation. Ischemic heart disease is the collective term for the two.

Two main pathways are considered for periodontitis to cause ischemic heart diseases.




1.When immune cells fight against endotoxin of periodontal bacteria, inflammatory cytokines travel through blood stream and act on myocardial vascular wall. As the result, oxidative stress is increased and cause degeneration of blood vessel.

2. Platelet coagulation factors from a certain type of periodontal bacteria work directly on coronary arteries to orm thrombus, narrowing the lumen of the blood vessel.

The actions by the oxidative stressor and platelet coagulation factor may cause cholesterol deposition on cardiovascular wall, proliferation of vascular smooth muscles, and thrombus formation. Consequently, they promote atherosclerosis of cardiac vessels and increase the risk of developing ischemic heart diseases.

*What is oxidative stressor? : When body is strained in its reaction to adverse factor, it undergoes stress. There are different types of stressors such as wound, fever, nervous imbalance, oxidization, etc. Oxidative stressor refers to a part of oxygen entered body by breathing and became radical oxygen that reacts with various substances in the body by causing disorders. Radical oxygen has an action to destroy bacterial membrane and is effective in preventing bacterial infection. However, it will become toxic against over generated body. Radical oxygen is also generated from macrophage and white blood cells as body's immune reaction, and it causes disorders on tissue cells in inflammatory condition.


Photograph offer: Okayama University