Periodontal Disease May be a Key Initiator of RA
Patients at risk for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) demonstrate higher levels of periodontal bacteria before evidence of the chronic inflammatory joint disease presents itself, according to results of a study presented at the 2018 Annual European Congress of Rheumatology.
Patients at risk for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) demonstrate higher levels of periodontal bacteria before evidence of the chronic inflammatory joint disease presents itself, according to results of a study presented at the 2018 Annual European Congress of Rheumatology. The findings suggest periodontal disease may be a key initiator in RA-related autoimmunity.
In the study, led by Kulveer Mankia, MD, of Leeds Institute of Rheumatic and Muscoskeletal Medicine and the Leeds Biomedical Research Centre in England, participants were divided into three groups — 48 at-risk, 26 with RA, and 32 healthy controls — where dentists used DNA isolated from subgingival plaque to measure the levels of three types of bacteria: Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis), Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, and Filifactor Alocis.
Dentists diagnosed clinical periodontal disease in significantly more at-risk individuals than in healthy controls (73% vs. 38%). Individuals at-risk of RA also displayed an increased abundance of P. gingivalis and Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, than the healthy controls, which support Mankia’s theory that “local inflammation at mucosal surfaces may provide the primary trigger for the systemic autoimmunity seen in RA.” The main reason being autoimmunity in RA is characterized by antibody response to citrullinated proteins and P. gingivalis, the only pathogen known to express the enzyme, Peptidyl arginine deiminases.
Read more about the links between periodontal disease and RA here: http://www.dimensionsofdentalhygiene.com/2014/12_December/Features/Investigating_the_Link.aspx
