Diabetic Nephropathy patients with Chronic Periodontitis tied to Increased Dyslipidemia risk

There is a 2.355-fold risk of developing Dyslipidemia in Type 2 Diabetic Nephropathy patients with Chronic Periodontitis as per a recent study that was published in the journal, "Journal of Periodontal Research, 2022." 

Periodontitis is a multifactorial inflammatory disease. It is the sixth complication of diabetes and can also affect other complications of diabetes, including nephropathy and coronary artery diseases. Some of the research done earlier considers Dyslipidemia as a risk factor for the exacerbation of periodontitis. So, Researchers from China investigated through a study, the association between periodontitis and total serum cholesterol level in patients with type 2 diabetic nephropathy (T2DN). 

An Observational study was carried out on 119 T2DN patients with chronic periodontitis. Patients were divided into two groups, the normal group having serum total cholesterol <5.17 mmol/L (n = 89) and the Dyslipidemia group with serum total cholesterol ≥5.17 mmol/L, (n = 30). All the participants finished a validated questionnaire that collected information on oral hygiene behaviors and knowledge of oral health, and also underwent a clinical oral examination. The number of teeth remaining, probing depth (PD), clinical attachment level (CAL), and bleeding index (BI) was recorded. Physical examination and certain laboratory tests like fasting plasma glucose, serum glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), triglyceride, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein levels were performed. 

Results: 

• Compared with the Normal group, the means of CAL and BI were significantly higher in the Dyslipidemia group.
• In the Dyslipidemia group, PD and percent of sites with PD ≥4 mm were positively correlated with urinary albumin/creatinine ratios.
• PD and percent of sites with PD ≥4 and PD ≥5 mm were positively correlated with HbA1c level; a number of remaining teeth were negatively correlated with serum LDL-C level.
• After adjusting for age, gender, body mass index, smoking, FPG, and serum HbA1c and triglyceride levels, BI was found to be positively associated with dyslipidemia in T2DN patients with periodontitis. 

Thus, the researchers concluded that the association between periodontitis and blood lipid control among T2DN patients is very important due to the enhanced risk of developing dyslipidemia in 2DN patients with chronic periodontitis. 

For the full article, click here:  https://doi.org/10.1111/jre.13033 

Zhang D, Zhao C, Liu Z, et al. Relationship between periodontal status and dyslipidemia in patients with type 2 diabetic nephropathy and chronic periodontitis: A cross-sectional study [published online ahead of print, 2022 Jul 18]. J Periodontal Res. 2022;10.1111/jre.13033.