Researchers uncover gene linking heart disease and periodontitis

Gene Links Heart and Gum Disease

Researchers have known for several years that some type of link exists between heart disease and periodontitis, or gum disease. The same risk factors - smoking, obesity, and diabetes - are associated with both diseases. In addition, both conditions are marked by chronic inflammation and an imbalanced immune response. Despite these commonalities and several theories about how they work, however, the driving force behind the relationship between heart and gum disease has remained a mystery until now.

At the University of Kiel, a team of German researchers has discovered a genetic link between heart disease and periodontitis. The head researcher, Dr. Arne Schaefer, recently announced the findings at the annual conference of the European Society of Human Genetics in Vienna. He stated that a genetic mutation on chromosome 9 has been confirmed in patients with heart disease as well as those with a particularly aggressive, early-onset form of periodontitis. The team studied groups of more than 2,100 heart disease patients and over 330 patients with periodontitis, showing that all of them had the same genetic mutation.

This critical information may help in the prevention, early diagnosis and treatment of periodontitis, according to Dr. Shaefer. Taking steps to prevent and treat gum disease could protect patients with the genetic mutation from potentially deadly heart problems. In addition, Dr. Shaefer warns that people who already have periodontitis should work to lower their risk factors for both diseases. Based on the team’s findings, further studies will likely follow to determine whether the same link exists between heart disease and more common, lower-grade forms of periodontitis.