Journal of internal medicine
-
A high proportion of COVID-19 patients have cardiac involvement, even those without known cardiac disease. Downregulation of angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), a receptor for SARS-CoV-2 and the renin-angiotensin system, as well as inflammatory mechanisms have been suggested to play a role. ACE2 is abundant in the gut and associated with gut microbiota composition. We hypothesized that gut leakage of microbial products, and subsequent inflammasome activation could contribute to cardiac involvement in COVID-19 patients. ⋯ Patients with cardiac involvement had elevated markers of gut leakage and inflammasome activation, suggestive of a potential gut-heart axis in COVID-19.
-
The primary objective was to investigate the relationship between periodontitis and hypertension in two independent large surveys. The secondary objective was to ascertain whether systemic inflammation had a mediation effect in the association. ⋯ These findings suggest that periodontitis is closely linked to hypertension and systemic inflammation is, in part, a mediator of this association.