The first-ever study to compare levels of oral bacteria with blood-vessel thickness provides the strongest evidence yet that gum disease and clogged arteries are closely connected.
“People in the study with the highest levels of specific oral bugs also had the highest levels of atherosclerosis,” or hardening of the arteries, said lead researcher Dr. Moise Desvarieux of Columbia University Medical Center in New York City. The findings are published in the Feb. 8 issue of Circulation.
Previous studies had compared indirect markers of periodontal disease (such as loose gums or tooth loss) to atherosclerosis and found close correlations. But Desvarieux’s study of nearly 660 elderly individuals is the first to count and categorize specific populations of oral bacteria, then compare that data with ultrasound measurements of arterial thickness. The researchers found that participants with higher levels of oral bacteria also tended to have thicker, more narrowed carotid arteries. What’s more, this association was found only with oral bacteria known to cause gum disease.
Carpal-tunnel shots
In the first-ever comparison of the two most common treatments for carpal-tunnel syndrome, Spanish researchers conclude that simple steroid injections bring most people long-term relief that’s equal to, or better than, invasive surgery.
“In the absence of weakness or muscle atrophy, a local injection is as effective and safe as surgery,” said study author Dr. Jose Luis Andreu of the rheumatology unit at Hospital Puerta de Hierro in Madrid. Steroid injections also are “cheaper and more feasible” than invasive surgery for the painful condition, which is brought on by repeated stress on the wrist.
The findings are published in the February issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism.
In their study, Andreu and his team examined one-year outcomes in 163 carpal-tunnel-affected wrists belonging to a total of 101 patients. About half of the wrists were treated with surgery, while the other half received local steroid injections. Three months after treatment, 94 percent of wrists in the injection group achieved significant improvement in terms of pain relief and renewed movement, the researchers report. That percentage declined somewhat over time, however, to 85.5 percent by six months after injection and 70 percent one year after treatment.
However, three months after surgery, just 75 percent of wrists showed significant improvement. That number fell to 70 percent by one year after the operation.
Arthritis, heart failure linked
A new study confirms the strong link between rheumatoid arthritis and life-endangering congestive heart failure.
The 165 Minnesota residents in the study with rheumatoid arthritis were twice as likely to develop congestive heart failure during a 15-year period than 116 residents of similar age and gender who did not have the autoimmune disease.
The findings by Mayo Clinic researchers appear in the February issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism. Although the study was not designed to address the reason for an increase in congestive heart failure, several studies “suggest that inflammation may be a direct cause of heart failure,” study author Dr. Paulo Nicola said.
