The link between different infection forms of Porphyromonas gingivalis and acute myocardial infarction: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg) is one of the keystone pathogens involved in periodontitis. The present study aimed to observe the relationship among different infection forms of Pg, systemic inflammation, and acute myocardial infarction (AMI). METHODS: A total of 382 patients diagnosed with AMI and 78 patients without coronary heart disease (CHD) were included in the study. DNA from exfoliated oral cells, circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA), and genomic DNA (gDNA) from blood samples were extracted. The qPCR method was employed to detect Pg infection. Clinical characteristics, inflammatory parameters, and severity of coronary artery lesions of the patients were analyzed and compared. RESULTS: Both the oral colonization and distant invasion of Pg correlated positively with systemic inflammation. Multivariate logistic regression analysis suggested that Pg positivity in gDNA was correlated with the risk of AMI [Model 1 (odds ratio (OR) = 1.917, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.108–3.315), Model 2 (OR = 1.863, 95% CI 1.064–3.262), and Model 3 (OR = 1.853, 95% CI 1.042–3.295); p < 0.05]. Pg positivity in cfDNA and gDNA was related to the severity of coronary artery lesions (cfDNA-positive cases, adjusted OR = 1.577, p < 0.05; gDNA-positive cases, adjusted OR = 1.976, p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The distant invasion and colonization of Pg were the risk factors of AMI. They also affected the severity of CHD, indicating that periodontitis severity and distant invasion of periodontal pathogens were related to CHD. The presence of Pg was likely able to drive systemic inflammation, suggesting that there was an inflammatory relationship between periodontitis and AMI.