Gum disease an early pointer to Alzheimer's, study shows
LOSING teeth at a young age could be an early warning of Alzheimer's in later life, new research suggests.
A study of identical twins found a strong link between gum disease marked by teeth loss and the brain disease. Scientists think it is not the gum disease but the accompanying inflammation that helps to trigger Alzheimer's.
Early exposure to inflammation quadruples the risk of developing the disease in old age, the research suggests.
Infections, such as influenza, rheumatic fever and tuberculosis also create inflammation - but inherited genes for Alzheimer's are a much bigger risk factor.
Previous studies have shown that if one of a pair of identical twins has the disease, the other has a 60 per cent chance of developing it as well. Twins are often used to separate genetic and environmental risk factors.
Because identical twins share all the same genes, they have the same chance of inheriting a genetic susceptibility.
But if a risk factor has an environmental source, for instance an infection, it is likely to affect one twin more than the other. Analysing such patterns can turn the spotlight on a particular environmental hazard.
Professor Margaret Gatz, from the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, who led a study of 20,000 people on a Swedish registry of twins, said: "We're talking about gum disease, but it was measured by teeth lost or loose.
"It's not perfect. Given it's not perfect, it's even more striking that it's such a solid risk factor."
From (thescotsman.scotsman.com)