Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: People suffering from bacteria in gums are at an increased risk of developing heart rhythm disorder also known as atrial fibrillation, according to a study. Researchers from Hiroshima University in Japan found that gum disease-causing bacterium Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis) can slip into the bloodstream and infiltrate the heart.
Once in the heart, it quietly drives scar tissue buildup — distorting the heart’s architecture, disrupting electrical signals, and raising the risk of atrial fibrillation (AFib) — a potentially serious heart rhythm disorder that can lead to stroke, heart failure, and other life-threatening complications.
Globally, AFib cases nearly doubled in under a decade, rising from 33.5 million in 2010 to roughly 60 million by 2019. Growing evidence suggests that gum disease might be contributing to the surge.
The study, published in the journal Circulation, provides the first clear evidence that P. gingivalis in the gums can work its way into the left atrium in both animal models and humans, pointing to a potential microbial pathway linking periodontitis to AFib.
“The causal relationship between periodontitis and atrial fibrillation is still unknown, but the spread of periodontal bacteria through the bloodstream may connect these conditions,” said Shunsuke Miyauchi, Assistant Professor at the varsity’s Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences.
For the study, the team created a mouse model using the bacterium’s aggressive W83 strain. They divided 13-week-old male mice into two groups: one had the strain introduced into the tooth pulp, and the other remained uninfected.
