Copyright
©The Author(s) 2021. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Cardiol. Apr 26, 2021; 13(4): 68-75
Published online Apr 26, 2021. doi: 10.4330/wjc.v13.i4.68
Published online Apr 26, 2021. doi: 10.4330/wjc.v13.i4.68
Drug-induced gingival overgrowth in cardiovascular patients
Lucija Bajkovec, Institute of Emergency Medicine of Medimurje County, Institute of Emergency Medicine of Međimurje County, Cakovec 40000, Croatia
Anna Mrzljak, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Hospital Center Zagreb, Zagreb 10000, Croatia
Anna Mrzljak, School of Medicine, University of Zagreb, Zagreb 10000, Croatia
Robert Likic, Unit for Clinical Pharmacology and TherapeuticsDepartment of Internal Medicine, University Hospital Centre Zagreb, Zagreb 10000, Croatia
Ivan Alajbeg, Department of Oral Medicine, University of Zagreb School of Dental Medicine and University Hospital Centre Zagreb, Zagreb 10000, Croatia
Author contributions: Bajkovec L made contributions to the conception and design of the study, drafted and revised the manuscript critically; Mrzljak A, Alajbeg I and Likic R collected data, drafted and wrote the manuscript; all authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Anna Mrzljak, FEBG, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Hospital Center Zagreb, Kispaticeva 12, Zagreb 10000, Croatia. anna.mrzljak@gmail.com
Received: February 7, 2021
Peer-review started: February 7, 2021
First decision: February 28, 2021
Revised: March 1, 2021
Accepted: March 29, 2021
Article in press: March 29, 2021
Published online: April 26, 2021
Peer-review started: February 7, 2021
First decision: February 28, 2021
Revised: March 1, 2021
Accepted: March 29, 2021
Article in press: March 29, 2021
Published online: April 26, 2021
Core Tip
Core Tip: Drug-induced gingival overgrowth is a side-effect of the drugs such as calcium channel blockers and immunosuppressants, commonly used in cardiovascular and transplanted patients. The condition is multifactorial and mainly depends on the potential of the used drug to cause gingival changes and the state of oral hygiene. Patients who develop drug-induced gingival overgrowth may experience severe discomfort and pain in addition to troubles with mastication, speech, and maintaining oral hygiene. Since it significantly reduces the quality of life, preventive and curative measures should be implemented as part of a care plan for patients at risk.