Patients undergoing treatment for kidney failure (hemodialysis) appear to have a five times greater risk of death from cardiovascular disease if they have periodontal disease.

Kidney failure and high blood pressure have a dynamic relationship; kidney failure can cause high blood pressure and high blood pressure can cause kidney failure.

The study included 168 patients of which 68 had moderate to severe periodontal disease. There were 14 total cardiovascular disease related deaths in the whole group within 18 months and 11 of them had moderate to severe periodontal disease. The authors recognized their study has its limitations, such as a small sample size as well as incomplete socioeconomic and nutritional information. They conclude, “Our findings suggest a need for larger studies to confirm this connection, along with intervention trials to determine if treating periodontitis reduces cardiovascular disease mortality in dialysis patients.”

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For more information visit http://www.nature.com/ki/journal/v75/n7/abs/ki2008660a.html.