Periodontal Disease Associated With Interstitial Myocardial Fibrosis: The Multiethnic Study of Atherosclerosis

Abstract

Background Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory disease common among adults. It has been suggested that periodontal disease (PD) may be a contributing risk factor for cardiovascular disease; however, pathways underlying such a relationship require further investigation. Methods and Results A total of 665 men (mean age 68±9 years) and 611 women (mean age 67±9 years) enrolled in the MESA (Multiethnic Study of Atherosclerosis) underwent PD assessment using a 2‐item questionnaire at baseline (2000–2002) and had cardiovascular magnetic resonance 10 years later. PD was defined when participants reported either a history of periodontitis or gum disease or lost teeth caused by periodontitis or gum disease. Multivariable linear regression models were constructed to assess the associations of baseline self‐reported PD with cardiovascular magnetic resonance–obtained measures of interstitial myocardial fibrosis (IMF), including extracellular volume and native T1 time. Men with a self‐reported history of PD had greater extracellular volume percent (ß=0.6%±0.2, P =0.01). This association was independent of age, left ventricular mass, traditional cardiovascular risk factors, and history of myocardial infarction. In a subsequent model, substituting myocardial infarction for coronary artery calcium score, the association of PD with IMF remained significant (ß=0.6%±0.3, P =0.03). In women, a self‐reported history of PD was not linked to higher IMF. Importantly, a self‐reported history of PD was not found to be associated with myocardial scar independent of sex (odds ratio, 1.01 [95% CI, 0.62–1.65]; P =0.9). Conclusions In a community‐based setting, men but not women with a self‐reported PD history at baseline were found to be associated with increased measures of IMF. These findings support a plausible link between PD, a proinflammatory condition, and subclinical IMF.