Gum Disease Associated With Kidney Problems
April 12, 2005

By Nancy Volkers
InteliHealth News Service

INTELIHEALTH - People with periodontal (gum) disease are more likely to develop kidney problems, according to a North Carolina study.

Researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill studied 5,537 middle-aged people. Of those, 41% had periodontal disease. Forty-two percent of people with periodontal disease had a severe form.

People with periodontal disease were twice as likely as those without the disease to have renal insufficiency, a condition in which the kidneys don't work well. People with severe periodontal disease were slightly more likely than people with mild or moderate disease to have renal insufficiency.

Researchers took other risk factors for kidney problems into account. They also took into account risk factors for cardiovascular (heart) disease, which has been associated with periodontal disease in several large studies.

As many as 12 million Americans may have early renal insufficiency, which can worsen to kidney failure. Diabetes and high blood pressure are established risk factors for kidney problems.

Besides the link with heart disease, periodontal disease has been linked in pregnant women with preterm birth and having a low-birth-weight baby.

According to the authors, this is the first study to show an association between periodontal disease and kidney problems. The study appears in the April issue of the American Journal of Kidney Diseases.