Study Suggests Link Between Gum Disease Bacteria And Rheumatoid Arthritis

HealthDay reported a study published online Dec. 14 in the journal Science Translational Medicine found signs of infection by the bacteria A. actinomycetemcomitans, which is linked to gum disease, “in almost half of the rheumatoid arthritis patients compared to just 11 percent of another group of people without gum disease or rheumatoid arthritis.” This suggests “that the germ could cause both gum disease and rheumatoid arthritis,” although study co-author Dr. Felipe Andrade said that this is “an early finding that needs confirmation by others,” and “it may be decades before researchers can actually prove a cause-and-effect relationship between the two.”