Thromb Haemost 2004; 92(02): 244-252
DOI: 10.1160/TH04-02-0092
Theme Issue Article
Schattauer GmbH

Periodontal disease, but not edentulism, is independently associated with increased plasma fibrinogen levels

Results from a population-based study
Christian Schwahn
1   School of Dentistry, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-University, Greifswald, Germany
,
Henry Völzke
2   Institute of Epidemiology and Social Medicine, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-University, Greifswald, Germany
,
Daniel M. Robinson
3   Department of Internal Medicine B, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-University, Greifswald, Germany
,
Jan Luedemann
4   Institute of Clinical Chemistry and Laborartory Medicine, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-University, Greifswald, Germany
,
Olaf Bernhardt
1   School of Dentistry, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-University, Greifswald, Germany
,
Dietmar Gesch
1   School of Dentistry, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-University, Greifswald, Germany
,
Ulrich John
2   Institute of Epidemiology and Social Medicine, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-University, Greifswald, Germany
,
Thomas Kocher
1   School of Dentistry, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-University, Greifswald, Germany
› Author Affiliations

Financial support: The work is part of the Community Medicine Research net (CMR) of the University of Greifswald, Germany, which is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (grant no. ZZ9603), the Ministry of Cultural Affairs as well as the Social Ministry of the Federal State of Mecklenburg-West Pomerania. The CMR encompasses several research projects which share data of the population-based Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP; http://www.medizin.uni-greifswald.de/cm). The work was further supported by DFG Ko 799/5-1 and GABA, Switzerland.
Further Information

Publication History

Received 13 February 2004

Accepted after resubmission 04 May 2004

Publication Date:
30 November 2017 (online)

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Summary

The systemic response to periodontal disease was analyzed in the cross-sectional Study of Health in Pomerania (SHIP). The completed data of 2,738 subjects aged 20 to 59 years were used for logistic regression analysis with an increased plasma fibrinogen level (≥3.25 g/L according to Clauss) as the dependent variable. Participants were divided into four groups according to the number of periodontal pockets ≥ 4mm (0, 1-7, 8-14, ≥15 pocketing). An additional group comprised the 52 edentulous subjects. The adjusted odds ratio (OR) of ≥15 periodontal pockets for increased plasma fibrinogen levels was 1.88 (95% CI: 1.25-2.83). Edentulism per se was not associated with increased plasma fibrinogen levels but was contained in a two-way interaction with the number of cigarettes/day in current smokers (p = 0.031). For edentulous nonsmokers the adjusted OR was 1.10 (95% CI: 0.51-2.39). Furthermore, body mass index, the interaction between gender and body mass index, serum LDL cholesterol, medication, the interaction between LDL cholesterol and medication, aspirin, smoking, school education, chronic bronchitis, and the interaction between alcohol consumption and chronic gastritis were associated with plasma fibrinogen levels. Our results show that periodontal disease but not edentulism per se is associated with an increased plasma fibrinogen level.