Taking time to honor 100 years of dental hygiene and our nation's freedom
There is a new report on Heart Disease and Stroke. See section 4. Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of men and women. While it’s true that diet and lifestyle play a role in the disease, along with family history and genetics, there are other, less common factors linked with heart problems. I was reading that your neighborhood could be a risk factor.(1) A study in the New England Journal of Medicine found that people in lower-income neighborhoods were up to three times more likely to have heart disease than peers with similar incomes, education, and jobs living in wealthier communities. One 2012 study linked the popular antibiotic azithromycin (commonly dispensed in packages called Z-Paks), to a higher risk of heart attack death, particularly in people with heart disease.(2) Calcium supplements have been linked to increased risk of heart attacks.(3)
Infections that initiate the inflammatory response which can trigger a heart attack or stroke. Psoriasis and diseases like lupus, autoimmune disorders that may cause chronic inflammation, can cause a heart attack. A 2009 study found that women with depression were twice as likely to develop heart disease over time as those who weren’t depressed.(4) And of course, periodontal infection has been linked to cardiovascular disease.(5) So, in addition to well-known triggers, like smoking, diabetes, and high cholesterol, learn about some of the other not-so-well-known risk factors.
I hope to see you in Boston! Have a safe and happy July 4th!
References
1. Roux AVD, Merkin S, Arnett D, Chambless L, Massing M, Nieto FJ, Sorlie P, Szklo M, Tyroler HA, and Watson RL. N Engl J Med 2001; 345:99-106July 12, 2001.
2. Ray WA, Murray KT, Hall K, Arbogast PG, and Stein CM. Azithromycin and the Risk of Cardiovascular Death. N Engl J Med 2012; 366:1881-1890May 17, 2012.
3. http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/calcium-supplements-and-heart-attacks-more-data-more-questions/.
4. Whang W, Kubzansky LD, Kawachi I, Rexrode KM, Kroenke CH, Glynn RJ, Garan H, and Albert CM. Depression and Risk of Sudden Cardiac Death and Coronary Heart Disease in Women. Results From the Nurses' Health Study. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2009;53(11):950-958.
5. Special issue: Periodontitis and Systemic Diseases - Proceedings of a workshop jointly held by the European Federation of Periodontology and American Academy of Periodontology. Co-edited by Maurizio Tonetti and Kenneth S. Kornman. The workshop was funded by an unrestricted educational grant from Colgate-Palmolive to the European Federation of Periodontology and the American Academy of Periodontology. All manuscripts were fully peer reviewed. Journal of Periodontology, Volume: 84, Number: 4-s April 2013. http://www.joponline.org/toc/jop/84/4-s.
Sincerely,
Maria Perno Goldie, RDH, MS
To read previous RDH eVillage FOCUS introductions by Maria Perno Goldie, go to introductions.
To read more about the the 100th anniversary of dental hygiene, click here.
