COVID19 z-bio 2021-02-15 264

　　According to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Periodontology of the European Federation of Periodontology (EFP), if COVID-19 patients also have gum disease, they are at least three times more likely to develop complications.

　　A study of more than 500 COVID-19 patients found that compared with patients without gum disease, they are 3.5 times more likely to receive intensive care, 4.5 times more likely to require a ventilator, and 9 times more likely to die. Gum disease.

　　The blood markers of COVID-19 patients with gum disease showed that the level of inflammation in their bodies was significantly higher than that of patients without gum disease, indicating that inflammation can explain the incidence of complications.

　　"The results of this study indicate that inflammation in the oral cavity may open the door to the coronavirus to become more violent. Oral care should be part of health advice to reduce the risk of severe COVID-19 results."

　　Periodontitis is a serious gum disease that affects up to half of adults worldwide. 2 Periodontitis can cause inflammation of the gums, if not treated in time, the inflammation will spread to the whole body. COVID-19 is associated with a potentially fatal inflammatory response. This study investigated the relationship between periodontitis and COVID-19 complications.

　　This is a national case-control study conducted in Qatar, which has electronic health records containing medical and dental data. The study included 568 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 between February 2020 and July 2020. Of these, 40 had complications (intensive care unit (ICU) admission, required a ventilator, or died), while 528 did not. Information was collected about gum disease and other factors that may be associated with COVID-19 complications, including body mass index (BMI), smoking, asthma, heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure. Data on blood levels of chemicals related to inflammation in the body were also obtained.

　　Among the 568 COVID-19 patients in this study, 258 (45%) had gum disease. After adjusting for age, gender, BMI, smoking status and other conditions, compared with patients without gum disease, the risk ratio of COVID-19 complications in patients with gum disease is as high as 3.67 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.46–9.27). The ICU admission rate ratio was 3.54 (95% CI 1.39-9.05), the ventilator requirement ratio was 4.57 (95% CI 1.19-17.4), and the death ratio was 8.81 (95% CI 1.00-77.7).

　　The author pointed out: "If a causal relationship is established between periodontitis in COVID-19 patients and the increased incidence of adverse consequences, then establishing and maintaining periodontal health may become an important part of the care of these patients."