Anxiety and small intestinal bacterial overgrowth: associations with recurrent aphthous ulcers.

IF 2.6 2区医学 Q1 DENTISTRY, ORAL SURGERY & MEDICINE

BMC Oral Health Pub Date : 2025-05-07 DOI:10.1186/s12903-025-05998-0

Zijian Liu, Mingxing Lu, Wei Wang, Jingli Tang, Shufang Li, Qianyun Guo, Yutian Wang, Xingyun Liu, Xing Wang, Zhe Cheng, Qian Wang, Jianqiu Jin, Ying Han, Hongwei Liu, Lihong Cui

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Background: Recurrent aphthous ulcer (RAU) is the most prevalent oral mucosal disease, yet its etiology remains unclear. Anxiety and depression have been linked to the onset of RAU, but research findings were contradictory. The association of intestinal diseases with RAU implies a potential role of gut microbiota in the development of this condition. This study aims to explore the correlation between the presence and severity of RAU and psychological factors, as well as gut microbiota dysbiosis.

Methods: The Zung's self-rating anxiety scale (SAS), Zung's self-rating depression scale (SDS), and Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) were used to assess the participants' psychological status. The lactulose hydrogen-methane breath test was performed to detect the presence of small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) in RAU patients. The long-term severity of RAU is quantified using the monthly number of ulcers. Compare the differences in outcomes between individuals with RAU and the healthy population, and explore the factors influencing the severity of RAU.

Results: Forty-nine patients and 49 controls were included. The RAU group had significantly higher SAS scores (t = 2.18, p = 0.034), and SIBO positivity (χ² = 75.67, p < 0.001). Factors correlated with the monthly number of ulcers included SAS score (r = 0.52, p < 0.001), symptoms of anxiety (r = 0.42, p = 0.004), SDS score (r = 0.46, p = 0.002), PSQI score (r = 0.35, p = 0.020), and SIBO positivity (r = 0.42, p = 0.005). Multiple linear regression analyses indicated that anxiety and SIBO may influence the severity of RAU. Moreover, SAS score (r = 0.38, p = 0.010) and SDS score (r = 0.38, p = 0.009) exhibited correlations with SIBO.

Conclusions: RAU patients are at a higher risk of anxiety and gut microbiota dysbiosis, which could potentially escalate the severity of RAU. The role of the brain-gut axis in the pathogenesis of RAU warrants further exploration.

查看原文本刊更多论文

焦虑和小肠细菌过度生长：与复发性阿弗顿溃疡有关。

背景：复发性口腔溃疡（RAU）是最常见的口腔黏膜疾病，其病因尚不清楚。焦虑和抑郁与RAU的发病有关，但研究结果却相互矛盾。肠道疾病与RAU的关联暗示了肠道微生物群在这种疾病发展中的潜在作用。本研究旨在探讨RAU的存在和严重程度与心理因素以及肠道菌群失调的关系。方法：采用Zung焦虑自评量表（SAS）、Zung抑郁自评量表（SDS）和匹兹堡睡眠质量指数（PSQI）评估被试的心理状态。采用乳果糖氢甲烷呼气试验检测RAU患者是否存在小肠细菌过度生长（SIBO）。RAU的长期严重程度用每月溃疡的数量来量化。比较RAU患者与健康人群预后的差异，探讨影响RAU严重程度的因素。结果：纳入49例患者和49例对照组。RAU组SAS评分显著高于对照组（t = 2.18, p = 0.034）， SIBO阳性率显著高于对照组（χ2 = 75.67, p）。结论：RAU患者出现焦虑和肠道菌群失调的风险较高，有可能加重RAU的严重程度。脑肠轴在RAU发病机制中的作用有待进一步探讨。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

BMC Oral Health DENTISTRY, ORAL SURGERY & MEDICINE-

CiteScore

3.90

自引率

6.90%

发文量

481

审稿时长

6-12 weeks

期刊介绍： BMC Oral Health is an open access, peer-reviewed journal that considers articles on all aspects of the prevention, diagnosis and management of disorders of the mouth, teeth and gums, as well as related molecular genetics, pathophysiology, and epidemiology.