Periodontal disease as an aggravating factor in patients with COVID-19

Abstract

At the end of December 2019, a new virus that causes atypical pneumonia called SARS-CoV-2 was reported in Wuhan, China, whose disease was named COVID-19. Later it was shown that patients with associated comorbidities (cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, peripheral vascular diseases and diabetes mellitus) evolved torpidly and even death. Periodontitis has been shown to be a local infectious process with systemic involvement and shares pathophysiological mechanisms with these pathologies. Its possible relationship is established by the presence of pathogenic microorganisms in the periodontal pockets, which produce systemic immunoinflammatory reactions mediated by numerous cytokines. Low-grade bacteremia and transient endotoxemia caused by periodontal bacteria are the result of aspiration pneumonia and complications from pre-existing diseases. Recent studies by numerous authors warn of this link, which is why the idea of research on the subject arose and the publication of this opinion article on periodontal disease as an aggravating factor in patients with COVID-19. Although the possible relationship between periodontitis and severe forms of COVID-19 has not been proven, there is sufficient evidence that allows it to be related to different conditions such as diabetes mellitus, high blood pressure, chronic kidney disease and cardiovascular disease. In turn, all of them are related to periodontitis, so it can be assumed that there is a relationship between periodontal disease and COVID-19.

Keywords

• covid-19
• periodontitis
• enfermedad periodontal
• tormenta de citoquinas
• citoquinas
• bacterias periodontales.