Prevalence of comorbidities in periodontitis patients compared with the general Austrian population

Background: To analyze the prevalence and impact of comorbidities in patients with periodontitis in Austria.Methods: The prevalence of comorbidities was evaluated in 1199 patients with periodontitis (median age: 49, range: 14-83 years). These data were compared to an age and sex matched randomly selected cohort of the Austrian population by an unconditional logistic regression model.Results: Comorbidities were found in 821/1199=68.5% patients. Allergies had the highest prevalence (29.2%), followed by hypertension (19.4%), musculoskeletal (11.2%), and endocrine disorders (9.7%). Chronic pulmonary disorders (no influenza/pneumonia) were associated with a higher approximal plaque-index (72% versus 63%, p=0.02). No association between characteristics of periodontitis and comorbidities was observed. The prevalence of allergies (29.2% vs. 22.9%) and pulmonary disorders (8.5% vs 4.3%) was significantly higher in periodontitis patients compared to the Austrian population (p<0.001), whereas asthma (1.5% vs. 5.6%),...