The existence of a link between the composition of the intestinal flora and the occurrence of inflammatory joint diseases, in particular that of the spondyloarthritis seems confirmed, according to results of a study published in the medical journal Annals of Rheumatic Diseases.
Spondyloarthritis (SpA) brings together several chronic inflammatory joint diseases, characterized by inflammation of the joints of the spine and pelvis.
Inserm researchers studied the involvement of environmental factors, in particular the possible role of the intestinal bacterial flora to understand if there was a link.
“A lot of old data suggests that there may be a link between the bowel and these diseases. For example, there are 20 times more inflammatory bowel diseases in patients with SpA than in the general population. “says Maxime Breban, professor of rheumatologyspecialized in the management of inflammatory rheumatism and in particular SpA, head of the rheumatology department at the Ambroise Paré hospital.
An intestinal imbalance identified in patients
Since 2009, scientists have been carrying out a study comparing several groups of people: patients with SpA, healthy family controls, as well as people with rheumatoid arthritis (PR) on which they analyzed their intestinal microbiota to identify the bacterial species present.
The results of the study reveal an imbalance of bacterial populations (intestinal dysbiosis) in patients suffering from SpA or RA, in comparison with healthy controls.
The researchers also observed the presence of a high proportion of Ruminococcus gnavus bacteria in the intestinal flora of patients with SpA, characterizing the dysbiosis associated with this pathology.
“We realized that the activity of SpA was correlated with the proportion of R. gnavus found in the stool. The hypothesis is therefore that a dysbiosis which would favor the presence of this bacterium could cause inflammatory joint diseases” , concludes the researcher.
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