A new study confirms a link between periodontal disease and rheumatoid arthritis through the presence of common bacteria.
- Chronic joint pain is linked to healthy teeth, study finds.
- The bacteria present in periodontal disease are also present in rheumatoid arthritis flare-ups.
- This approach pushes scientists to study the microbial signatures of cancer.
Will it ever be possible to prescribe mouthwash to help prevent rheumatoid arthritis flare-ups? This is essentially what scientists are hoping for when they published a study on the link between healthy teeth and joint pain in Science Translational Medicine.
Polyarthritis: periodontal disease bacteria in patients
Indeed, during their research, scientists found traces of bacteria associated with periodontal diseases (gingivitis, periodontitis) in samples taken from patients with rheumatoid arthritis. It is an autoimmune inflammatory disease that attacks the lining of the joints and can cause heart, lung and eye problems. It is manifested by flare-ups of variable duration and periods of calm, indicates theHealth Insurance.
According to Vicky Yao, a biologist at Rice University in Houston, Texas and lead author, the microbes present in the samples studied – which changed constantly in arthritis patients before the attacks – were largely associated with gum disease. .
Cancer research could benefit from this discovery
This information could prove important for other pathological contexts such as cancer. It opens the possibility and the hope of finding interesting microbial or viral signatures associated with this disease.
“For example, if a tumor creates a focus of specific microbes that we recognize, we may be able to use this knowledge to diagnose cancer earlier or in a less invasive or less expensive way. Or, if microbes have a very strong link to survival rates, it can help establish a prognosis. And if experiments confirm a causal link between a specific virus or bacteria and a type of cancer, then, of course, this could be useful for therapeutics”, explains the scientist.
