Heart valve infection People with heart valve disease are at particular risk when there is gum disease, Dr. How do oral bacteria cause problems? Heart disease is not a periodontal disease located in the chest. Patients are often surprised to learn that high-risk oral germs, such as those that cause gum disease, enter the bloodstream. Identified as “bacterial attackers”, they represent a serious threat to arterial health that can cause heart attacks and strokes, as well as diabetes and birth complications.
So how do they harm us? The bacteria that cause gum disease travel through the bloodstream, causing damage and causing inflammation in the arteries. A heart attack is triggered by a blockage in one of the arteries that supply oxygen-rich blood to the heart muscle. It is now known that coronary artery occlusion is caused not only by deposits of bad cholesterol, but also by movement and the heart. Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic condition of the immune system.
The inflammation that stimulates this form of joint disease is caused by autoimmunity or by the body's reaction against itself. Increased levels of total body inflammation worsen rheumatoid arthritis, and the cause of that inflammation is partly due to oral bacteria. In a recent study, people with oral infections involving Porphyromonas gingivalis, Pg and Fusobacterium nucleatum, Fn, have a significantly higher risk of developing rheumatoid disease. Studies show that bacteria found in periodontal disease, including Streptococcus sanguis, which plays a role in strokes, spreads to the heart.
The two seem to go hand in hand, Merritt says. In the absence of gum disease, there are significantly fewer of these bacteria in the heart. Other studies have shown that bacteria in the intestines influence heart health. The researchers in the new study wanted to see if bacteria in the mouth could also play a role in cardiovascular health.
February is Heart Month in the United States, and that means there's no better time to talk about the importance of oral health and its effect on heart health. Usually red or yellow in color, mouth sores are painful sores that can appear inside the mouth and also on the outside of the lips.
