Heart attack caused by bacteria

If you want to protect yourself from a heart attack or stroke as you age, you should especially not forget to brush your teeth. U.S. researchers have demonstrated a link between inflamed gums and thickening of the carotid arteries. Thickening caused by a layer known as plaque on the inner walls of vessels has long been considered a warning sign of an impending heart attack or stroke.
Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans (Aa) bacteria are one of the four main culprits.
The researchers focused their study on 11 of the more than 600 known bacteria in the mouth. They were able to reveal four pathogens as the worst culprits: Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Tannerella forsythia and Treponema denticola.

The results of the study were presented by the American Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda (Maryland, USA) in early February. They commissioned and funded the study published in the journal Circulation.

The study of 657 older men and women in New York found, in the words of lead researcher Moise Desvarieux, that “these four bacteria have repeatedly come to the fore repeatedly and the connection (with cardiovascular disease) seems to be almost exclusively confined to them. ” .

Bacteria are more harmful than smoking, being overweight, or having high cholesterol levels.
Thus, periodontitis bacteria are even more harmful than smoking, being overweight or having high cholesterol levels. From their base, the oral cavity, the species spread throughout the body and can attack, among other things, the coronary arteries and the cervix.

Inflammation of the gums also increases the risk of premature birth.
The relationship between periodontitis (inflammation of the periodontium) and heart attacks has long been known. In Germany, more than two thirds of the population suffers from periodontitis or inflammation of the gums (gingivitis). According to the German Help for Periodontosis Munich, it not only increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes, but also premature births and other health risks.

Don’t let it get to that point and schedule an appointment today. Our dental practice specializes in the comprehensive treatment of periodontal disease.