Introduction:
Periodontal disease, resulting from inflammatory host-response to dysbiotic subgingival microbiota, has been associated with incident hypertension, heart attack, stroke and diabetes. Limited data exist investigating the prospective relationship between periodontal disease and incident heart failure (HF) and HF subtypes. We hypothesize that periodontal disease is associated with increased risk for heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) and heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF).
Methods:
We studied 6,707 participants enrolled in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study who received a full-mouth clinical periodontal examination at visit 4 (1996-1998) and had longitudinal follow-up starting in 2005. Participants were classified as being periodontally healthy, having periodontal disease (based on the Periodontal Profile Classification (PPC)), or being edentulous. Hospitalization records were reviewed, and HF events were adjudicated and classified as HFpEF, HFrEF or HF of unknown ejection fraction (HFunknownEF) from 2005-2018. We used multivariable-adjusted Cox proportional hazards models to assess the association between periodontal disease or edentulism and incident HF.
Results:
Among participants 58% had periodontitis and 19% were edentulous. During a median follow-up time of 13 years, 1,178 cases of incident HF occurred (350 HFpEF, 319 HFrEF and 509 HFunknownEF). Periodontal disease and being edentulous were both associated with increased risk for both HFpEF and HFrEF (Table).
Conclusion:
Periodontal disease measured in mid-life was associated with both incident HFpEF and HFrEF. Adverse microbial exposures underlying periodontal disease might represent a modifiable risk factor for inflammation-induced heart failure pathophysiology.
Response to Comment on: Matsushita et al. (2010) The Association of Hemoglobin A1c With Incident Heart Failure Among People Without Diabetes: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study. Diabetes;59:2020–2026