Gum disease bug linked to rheumatoid arthritis

Conclusions This research aimed to investigate a possible bacterial origin of rheumatoid arthritis and found one potential candidate – Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (Aα). It seems these bacteria could cause the high levels of citrullinated proteins which are known to trigger an immune reaction in people with rheumatoid arthritis. However, it's important to put these findings into the right context. Though antibodies against citrullinated proteins, anti-cyclic citrullinated peptide (anti-CCP), are one of the possible diagnostic findings in people with rheumatoid arthritis – not everyone with rheumatoid arthritis has these antibodies, and not everyone with these antibodies has rheumatoid arthritis. These are not an exclusive, defining hallmark of the disease. Therefore this will not provide the whole answer to the disease process. Even if high citrullinated proteins were the single defining hallmark of rheumatoid arthritis, we still don't know that the Aα bacteria provide the whole answer to what causes this. There may be other infective and inflammatory processes contributing to the raised levels of these cellular proteins. Care must also be taken when linking "arthritis" with dental care, as the media has done. Not everyone with gum disease develops rheumatoid arthritis, and not everyone with rheumatoid arthritis has had previous gum disease or poor dental hygiene. There is nothing to say that the mouth is the one source of any potential causative in...
Source: NHS News Feed - Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Medical practice Source Type: news