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May 25, 2009, 14:59 GMT

Scientists: Gum disease and heart attacks have same genetic root

Kiel, Germany - Gum disease and heart attacks have their roots in the same human genetic defect, according to findings released by a German scientist Monday. The genetic variant on chromosome 9 associated with aggressive periodontitis in younger adults was identical with one found in many patients who had suffered heart attacks, according to Arne Schaefer of Kiel University's Clinical Molecular Biology Institute. Doctors have known for years that the two diseases often go together, but the finding is the first suggesting they have the same root cause. The chance of falling ill with either increases among patients who smoke, are overweight or suffer from diabetes. The university on Germany's Baltic coast said Schaeffer delivered his findings Monday at a human genetics conference in Vienna, Austria. Heart attacks are the most common cause of human death. Periodontal disease, in which the jaws and gums become inflamed, is the main cause of tooth loss in people over 40 and afflicts 90 per cent of people over 60.

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