Findings in a recent study have warned that people suffering from rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are highly prone to be affected by gum diseases, up to four times more than that of other people.

The study, which has been published in the Annals of Rheumatic Disease, has tried to highlight the link between oral diseases and systemic inflammatory disorders, which also include RA.

RA is conditions where body’s own immune system becomes its enemy and affects many tissues and organs but majorly attack the flexible joints. The process involves an inflammatory response of the joints, which further advances and damages the joint and causes severe pain.

The study included two groups of people; one group included 91 patients suffering from RA and the other group included 93 participants of the same age but without RA. The participants were not smokers and none of the RA patients were consuming RA drugs. Majority of the participants were women, with an average age of 40.

Approximately 65% of people with RA were diagnosed with gum diseases, in comparison to 28% in the other group. Nevertheless, the disease was more sever in case of patients with RA.

Researchers said, “People with RA and gum disease were also more likely to test positive for the presence of ACPA, which may generate and maintain inflammation in the mouth”.