Periodontitis and systemic inflammation: genetic aspects

The inflammatory response to chronic infections such as periodontitis may be responsible for the systemic implications of these diseases. Several studies investigated the associations between polymorphisms in cytokine genes, such as IL-6 and the systemic inflammatory response in patients with advanced chronic or aggressive periodontitis and suggested that cytokine genotypes may be important determinants. Coronary Heart Disease (CHD), the leading cause of death worldwide, is a systemic disease which is propagated by several environmental and behavioural risk factors. Until recently the genetic variants that confer cardiovascular risk had remained largely unknown. Epidemiological studies indicate a relationship between coronary heart disease (CHD) and periodontitis. Both diseases are associated with similar risk factors and are characterized by a chronic inflammatory process. A recent candidate-gene association study identified an association of a genetic susceptibility locus shared by both diseases (Schäfer et al. 2009). Thus, the most important genetic risk variant for CHD to date, is also associated with a substantial risk increase for aggressive periodontitis. Hopefully, the elucidation of the interplay of transcript variants and their involvement in increased susceptibility to CHD and periodontitis will provide new insight into the underlying shared pathogenic mechanisms of these complex common diseases.