Severe periodontitis is associated with diastolic blood pressure elevation in individuals with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia: a pilot study.

BACKGROUND

This pilot study evaluates the association of severe periodontitis with pulse wave velocity (PWV), carotid artery intima-medial thickness (IMT), and clinical, metabolic, and atherogenic inflammatory markers in 79 subjects with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (hFH). All subjects were free of previous vascular disease manifestations.

METHODS

The body mass index (in kilograms per square meter), plasma lipids, glucose, C-reactive protein, and white blood cell counts were evaluated. After full-mouth periodontal examinations, patients were categorized into the severe periodontitis group (SPG) or non-severe periodontitis group (NSPG).

RESULTS

The SPG showed significantly higher values of cholesterol-year scores, triglycerides, glucose, PWV, IMT, and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) (P ≤0.05) than the NSPG. After adjustment for traditional risk factors for atherosclerosis, only the association between severe periodontitis and DBP (odds ratio: 3.1; 95% CI: 1.1 to 8.5; P = 0.03) was confirmed.

CONCLUSIONS

In individuals with hFH, severe periodontitis was associated with a higher DBP, which suggests that severe periodontitis, itself, may contribute to the increased cardiovascular risk profile in this population.