COVID-19 patients with periodontitis face greater risk of dying if they suffered from periodontitis before contracting COVID-19, according to an international team of dental researchers.
The following written content via Dentistry Today
Coronavirus patients who have been hospitalized are far more likely to die of respiratory failure if they suffered from periodontitis before contracting COVID-19, according to an international team of dental researchers.
Hospitalized COVID-19 patients with high levels of interleukin (IL-6), a harmful protein produced by periodontitis, were at significantly greater risk of suffering life-threatening respiratory problems during the three-month study.
The study was prompted by earlier research regarding hospitalized COVID-19 patients in Germany who were tested for IL6 while they were in critical condition and unable to breathe without the help of a ventilator.
According to the researchers, the study suggests that COVID-19 patients with bad gums face a much greater risk of generating harmful IL-6 proteins that spread to their lungs and trigger a life-threatening respiratory crisis.
“Gum disease has been linked to other breathing ailments, including pneumonia and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, so we weren’t surprised to find a link to respiratory problems with COVID-19,” said researcher Shervin Molayem, DDS, a dental surgeon based on Los Angeles and founder of the UCLA Dental Research Journal.
“What shocked us was the discovery of the protein’s devastating, life-threatening impact to patients once they’re hospitalized. One tiny, inflammatory protein robbed them of their ability to breathe,” said Molayem.
The researchers determined that hospitalized COVID-19 patients with periodontitis IL-6 levels above 80 pg/ml are 22 times more likely to suffer from acute respiratory problems and placed on a ventilator compared to patients with IL-6 levels below 80 pg/ml.
According to the researchers, COVID-19 patients who suffer respiratory failure face grim odds for recovery, with almost 80% of those placed on ventilators in the United States since the beginning of the pandemic dying. Read more from Dentistry Today
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