From houstonchronicle.com
Bacteria associated with gum disease can worsen rheumatoid arthritis flare-ups, researchers found
Getting your teeth cleaned on a regular basis could prevent rheumatoid arthritis flare-ups, according to a Rice University researcher.
Bacteria associated with gum disease can worsen rheumatoid arthritis flare-ups. The bacteria enters the bloodstream when a person’s gums are bleeding, and then it can mislead the body’s natural defences into attacking joint tissue because the bacteria and the tissue have similar-looking proteins.
So maintaining good dental hygiene may prevent flare-ups by preventing this bacteria from entering the body and tricking the immune system, said Rice University computational biologist Vicky Yao.
Yao was part of a team of researchers who published their findings last month in Science Translational Medicine. The study was led by R. Camille Brewer from Stanford University.
Tracing this connection between the two conditions could help develop therapies for rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune inflammatory disease that attacks the lining of the joints and can cause heart, lung and eye problems, according to a Rice University news release.
“How cool would it be if you could prescribe some kind of mouthwash to help prevent rheumatoid arthritis flares,” Yao said in the news release.
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