Lower numbers of erythrocytes and lower levels of hemoglobin in periodontitis patients compared to control subjects

Background: Anemia of chronic disease (ACD) is defined as the anemia occurring in chronic infections and inflammatory conditions, that is not due to marrow deficiencies or other diseases and in the presence of adequate iron stores and vitamins. The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether periodontitis patients show signs of anemia. Method: 39 patients with severe periodontitis. 71 patients with moderate periodontitis and 42 controls, all with good general health, participated in this study. The mean age of all groups was 42 years. Several red blood cell parameters were determined from peripheral blood samples. Results: Overall data analysis indicated that periodontitis patients have a lower hematocrit, lower numbers of erythrocytes, lower hemoglobin levels and higher erythrocyte sedimentation rates. These results were adjusted for the following possible confounders: gender, age, smoking, ethnicity and level of education. Further, more periodontitis patients (23%) than controls (7%), had hemoglobin levels below the normal reference range. Conclusions: The present study provides further evidence that periodontitis has systemic effects and that periodontitis may tend towards anemia. This phenomenon may be explained by a depressed erythropoiesis.