Links Between Heart Disease And Bleeding Gums
According to researchers who recently presented their findings in Dublin, Ireland, unhealthy teeth, bleeding gingivae and poor oral hygiene are associated with the incidence of heart disease. Their report involved a divergence from other reports that found that bacterial by-products and inflammatory mediators play a role in this association.
Their report claims that the bleeding gingivae provide an portal of entry to the bloodstream for up to 700 different varieties of bacterial specifies, thus increasing the incidence of heart attacks, It has been postulated by these investigators that bacteria enter the blood vessels and attached to platelets, resulting in blockages in the blood vessels. In turn, these aggregates prevent blood from returning to the heart, and a greater heart attack risk is possible. Therapy for this is an assertive antibiotic regimen, however many of these bacteria develop drug resistance. Several bacteria, including, Streptococcus gordonii and Streptococcus sanguinis, are the regular causative agents, and it is now known that bacterial infections are autonomous risk factors for heart diseases.
Scientists are studying ways that these bacteria network with platelets, to attempt to utilize new therapies. Instead of just attaching to bacteria, it seems that the platelets engulf the bacteria, thus shielding them from our immune cells and also antibiotics. Therefore, more research is required that may help develop new drugs to combat this problem. Several bacterial proteins have also been shown to cause the clumping of platelets, and gene deletion of these bacterial proteins prevented this from occurring. The proteins may be the key to developing new therapies and vaccines to deal with this problem.
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