Preventing gum disease could halve risk of stroke

Health, Beauty and Lifestyle with Denise McNamara

An astonishing nine out of 10 people worldwide are affected by some degree of gum disease. But did you know that as well as risking the loss of teeth, gum disease means you are around twice as likely to have a stroke.

Researchers have discovered when the gums bleed and become inflamed, it leads to changes in how blood and oxygen flows to the brain.

One Swedish study compared the gum health of patients with and without a history of heart attack. Among more than 1,600 Swedish adults included in the study, half suffered a heart attack between 2010 and 2014. The other half were otherwise healthy patients part of a national Swedish registry.

Researchers found that gum disease was significantly more common in heart attack patients than healthy adults – individuals with gum disease were 49% more likely to have a heart attack than those without, strengthening the possibility of a relationship between gum disease and heart disease.

Last year the American Stroke Association presented research at their international conference showing gum disease is linked to higher rates of stroke, on account of hardening of brain arteries and artery blockages.

No study has confirmed whether gum disease actually causes heart disease.

Gum disease is more likely to occur as you get older while its severity also gets worse with age.

Smokers also experience worse levels of gum disease and diabetics are particularly prone to gum disease.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App

Download the Connacht Tribune Digital Edition App to access to Galway’s best-selling newspaper.

Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.

Or purchase the Digital Edition for PC, Mac or Laptop from Pagesuite  HERE.

Get the Connacht Tribune Live app
The Connacht Tribune Live app is the home of everything that is happening in Galway City and county. It’s completely FREE and features all the latest news, sport and information on what’s on in your area. Click HERE to download it for iPhone and iPad from Apple’s App Store, or HERE to get the Android Version from Google Play.