Dr Graham Lloyd-Jones
@drgrahamlj.bsky.social
Consultant Radiologist UK.
Medical imaging educator.
Founder/Director of radiologymasterclass.co.uk.
Investigating links between poor oral health and systemic disease | oral microbiome | COVID-19 & LongCOVID.
Oral Health Section Editor - Springer Nature
Medical imaging educator.
Founder/Director of radiologymasterclass.co.uk.
Investigating links between poor oral health and systemic disease | oral microbiome | COVID-19 & LongCOVID.
Oral Health Section Editor - Springer Nature
Dear #MedBlueSky
Black and white EITHER/OR debates limit us.
Nuanced AND/BOTH debates provide answers.
Let's not oversimplify the human body. It is too complicated to be understood in terms of binary EITHER/OR stances.
The nuance of AND/BOTH is the way forward.
Thanks
Black and white EITHER/OR debates limit us.
Nuanced AND/BOTH debates provide answers.
Let's not oversimplify the human body. It is too complicated to be understood in terms of binary EITHER/OR stances.
The nuance of AND/BOTH is the way forward.
Thanks
April 18, 2025 at 4:38 PM
Dear #MedBlueSky
Black and white EITHER/OR debates limit us.
Nuanced AND/BOTH debates provide answers.
Let's not oversimplify the human body. It is too complicated to be understood in terms of binary EITHER/OR stances.
The nuance of AND/BOTH is the way forward.
Thanks
Black and white EITHER/OR debates limit us.
Nuanced AND/BOTH debates provide answers.
Let's not oversimplify the human body. It is too complicated to be understood in terms of binary EITHER/OR stances.
The nuance of AND/BOTH is the way forward.
Thanks
My frustration with the world of medicine (my world) is that we are pathologically unable/unwilling to shift ideas or to see the body holistically.
Our blinkered and siloed approach kills people!
Oral health is the most siloed of all areas of medicine.
23/25
Our blinkered and siloed approach kills people!
Oral health is the most siloed of all areas of medicine.
23/25
April 12, 2025 at 11:36 PM
My frustration with the world of medicine (my world) is that we are pathologically unable/unwilling to shift ideas or to see the body holistically.
Our blinkered and siloed approach kills people!
Oral health is the most siloed of all areas of medicine.
23/25
Our blinkered and siloed approach kills people!
Oral health is the most siloed of all areas of medicine.
23/25
In summary, gum disease bacteria escape the mouth all the time and are directly implicated in biological mechanisms of numerous common diseases of the body including cardiovascular disease, diabetes,
22/25
22/25
April 12, 2025 at 11:36 PM
In summary, gum disease bacteria escape the mouth all the time and are directly implicated in biological mechanisms of numerous common diseases of the body including cardiovascular disease, diabetes,
22/25
22/25
The concept of pathogens escaping the mouth and travelling to the rest of the body is now my major area of interest (writing a book).
20/25
20/25
April 12, 2025 at 11:36 PM
The concept of pathogens escaping the mouth and travelling to the rest of the body is now my major area of interest (writing a book).
20/25
20/25
This question led to hypothesizing that the virus is getting to the lungs from the upper respiratory tract (nose and mouth) via the bloodstream.
And this explains why gum disease is a major risk factor for death from COVID-19.
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
19/25
And this explains why gum disease is a major risk factor for death from COVID-19.
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
19/25
April 12, 2025 at 11:36 PM
This question led to hypothesizing that the virus is getting to the lungs from the upper respiratory tract (nose and mouth) via the bloodstream.
And this explains why gum disease is a major risk factor for death from COVID-19.
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
19/25
And this explains why gum disease is a major risk factor for death from COVID-19.
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
19/25
The pattern of lung disease we saw on medical imaging in people with #COVID-19 tells us that the disease is NOT pneumonia, it is a vasculopathy (disease of blood vessels).
This raises another question …
How does this happen?
18/25
This raises another question …
How does this happen?
18/25
April 12, 2025 at 11:36 PM
The pattern of lung disease we saw on medical imaging in people with #COVID-19 tells us that the disease is NOT pneumonia, it is a vasculopathy (disease of blood vessels).
This raises another question …
How does this happen?
18/25
This raises another question …
How does this happen?
18/25
You might think that medical organisations asked – what are we dealing with?
They didn’t!
They assumed it was just like influenza. They kept calling the disease ‘pneumonia’.
This was a fatal error.
17/25
They didn’t!
They assumed it was just like influenza. They kept calling the disease ‘pneumonia’.
This was a fatal error.
17/25
April 12, 2025 at 11:36 PM
You might think that medical organisations asked – what are we dealing with?
They didn’t!
They assumed it was just like influenza. They kept calling the disease ‘pneumonia’.
This was a fatal error.
17/25
They didn’t!
They assumed it was just like influenza. They kept calling the disease ‘pneumonia’.
This was a fatal error.
17/25
Here is our conclusion …
(Remember, this is 2020 data which could have been published in early 2021)
13/25
(Remember, this is 2020 data which could have been published in early 2021)
13/25
April 12, 2025 at 11:36 PM
Here is our conclusion …
(Remember, this is 2020 data which could have been published in early 2021)
13/25
(Remember, this is 2020 data which could have been published in early 2021)
13/25
After many attempts to get published we were eventually accepted this month (April 2025!) in an institutional journal.
(Thanks to @UMJBelfast. And thanks especially to my colleague Alastair Watson for not giving up hope of publication.)
bit.ly/4j6fIpx
12/25
(Thanks to @UMJBelfast. And thanks especially to my colleague Alastair Watson for not giving up hope of publication.)
bit.ly/4j6fIpx
12/25
April 12, 2025 at 11:36 PM
After many attempts to get published we were eventually accepted this month (April 2025!) in an institutional journal.
(Thanks to @UMJBelfast. And thanks especially to my colleague Alastair Watson for not giving up hope of publication.)
bit.ly/4j6fIpx
12/25
(Thanks to @UMJBelfast. And thanks especially to my colleague Alastair Watson for not giving up hope of publication.)
bit.ly/4j6fIpx
12/25
The airways of the lungs were NORMAL!
Unlike influenza, there was no inflammation in the lung airways in people with #COVID-19.
The blood vessels were damaged.
And yet the world of medicine carried on treating it as if it were flu.
11/25
Unlike influenza, there was no inflammation in the lung airways in people with #COVID-19.
The blood vessels were damaged.
And yet the world of medicine carried on treating it as if it were flu.
11/25
April 12, 2025 at 11:36 PM
The airways of the lungs were NORMAL!
Unlike influenza, there was no inflammation in the lung airways in people with #COVID-19.
The blood vessels were damaged.
And yet the world of medicine carried on treating it as if it were flu.
11/25
Unlike influenza, there was no inflammation in the lung airways in people with #COVID-19.
The blood vessels were damaged.
And yet the world of medicine carried on treating it as if it were flu.
11/25
So I published informally as a blog on the Radiology Masterclass website and shared my ideas widely.
bit.ly/3E6PX9D
8/25
bit.ly/3E6PX9D
8/25
April 12, 2025 at 11:36 PM
So I published informally as a blog on the Radiology Masterclass website and shared my ideas widely.
bit.ly/3E6PX9D
8/25
bit.ly/3E6PX9D
8/25
Soon the autopsy papers showed that clotting in the lungs was occurring in the capillaries (the smallest blood vessels). This means that we would not be able to detect clotting in the lungs using standard imaging techniques.
bit.ly/3XSg8aM
6/25
bit.ly/3XSg8aM
6/25
April 12, 2025 at 11:36 PM
Soon the autopsy papers showed that clotting in the lungs was occurring in the capillaries (the smallest blood vessels). This means that we would not be able to detect clotting in the lungs using standard imaging techniques.
bit.ly/3XSg8aM
6/25
bit.ly/3XSg8aM
6/25
I wanted to know WHY #COVID-19 caused this weird ‘pneumonia’.
The areas of lung damage looked like what we see when someone has blood clots in the lungs.
bit.ly/4j6fIpx
5/25
The areas of lung damage looked like what we see when someone has blood clots in the lungs.
bit.ly/4j6fIpx
5/25
April 12, 2025 at 11:36 PM
I wanted to know WHY #COVID-19 caused this weird ‘pneumonia’.
The areas of lung damage looked like what we see when someone has blood clots in the lungs.
bit.ly/4j6fIpx
5/25
The areas of lung damage looked like what we see when someone has blood clots in the lungs.
bit.ly/4j6fIpx
5/25
The early papers from China showed distinct patterns of lung damage on CT scans which helped to make the diagnosis, but this was not the main question I had.
bit.ly/43PTfZi
4/25
bit.ly/43PTfZi
4/25
April 12, 2025 at 11:36 PM
The early papers from China showed distinct patterns of lung damage on CT scans which helped to make the diagnosis, but this was not the main question I had.
bit.ly/43PTfZi
4/25
bit.ly/43PTfZi
4/25
Firstly, who am I?
I am an educator in medical imaging, best known for founding Radiology Masterclass, a leading online resource for radiology education.
www.radiologymasterclass.co.uk
2/25
I am an educator in medical imaging, best known for founding Radiology Masterclass, a leading online resource for radiology education.
www.radiologymasterclass.co.uk
2/25
April 12, 2025 at 11:36 PM
Firstly, who am I?
I am an educator in medical imaging, best known for founding Radiology Masterclass, a leading online resource for radiology education.
www.radiologymasterclass.co.uk
2/25
I am an educator in medical imaging, best known for founding Radiology Masterclass, a leading online resource for radiology education.
www.radiologymasterclass.co.uk
2/25
If in Dec 2020 you had told me it would take until April 2021 to get my #COVID research published, I’d have been disappointed.
It has now been published (April 2025), 4 years later.
bit.ly/4j6fIpx
👇
Here's my epic COVID-19 failure story …
Long thread 1/25
It has now been published (April 2025), 4 years later.
bit.ly/4j6fIpx
👇
Here's my epic COVID-19 failure story …
Long thread 1/25
April 12, 2025 at 11:36 PM
If in Dec 2020 you had told me it would take until April 2021 to get my #COVID research published, I’d have been disappointed.
It has now been published (April 2025), 4 years later.
bit.ly/4j6fIpx
👇
Here's my epic COVID-19 failure story …
Long thread 1/25
It has now been published (April 2025), 4 years later.
bit.ly/4j6fIpx
👇
Here's my epic COVID-19 failure story …
Long thread 1/25
It is not possible to understand #Alzheimer’s disease without understanding the involvement of #OralMicrobiome pathogens.
Not only is Alzheimer’s a disease, it is a microbial ecosystem.
#PGingivalis
#OralBacterialTranslocation
#OuterMembraneVesicles
#Lactoferrin
#Neuroinflammation
#IronMetabolism
Not only is Alzheimer’s a disease, it is a microbial ecosystem.
#PGingivalis
#OralBacterialTranslocation
#OuterMembraneVesicles
#Lactoferrin
#Neuroinflammation
#IronMetabolism
March 6, 2025 at 12:57 AM
It is not possible to understand #Alzheimer’s disease without understanding the involvement of #OralMicrobiome pathogens.
Not only is Alzheimer’s a disease, it is a microbial ecosystem.
#PGingivalis
#OralBacterialTranslocation
#OuterMembraneVesicles
#Lactoferrin
#Neuroinflammation
#IronMetabolism
Not only is Alzheimer’s a disease, it is a microbial ecosystem.
#PGingivalis
#OralBacterialTranslocation
#OuterMembraneVesicles
#Lactoferrin
#Neuroinflammation
#IronMetabolism
February 20, 2025 at 10:29 PM
Today is the 4th anniversary of the first publication of the oro-vasculo-pulmonary route hypothesis of spread of #SARS2 to the lungs from the mouth via the bloodstream in people with #COVID.
First published informally here - radiologymasterclass.co.uk/tutorials/co...
1/4
First published informally here - radiologymasterclass.co.uk/tutorials/co...
1/4
February 20, 2025 at 10:29 PM
Today is the 4th anniversary of the first publication of the oro-vasculo-pulmonary route hypothesis of spread of #SARS2 to the lungs from the mouth via the bloodstream in people with #COVID.
First published informally here - radiologymasterclass.co.uk/tutorials/co...
1/4
First published informally here - radiologymasterclass.co.uk/tutorials/co...
1/4
Oral health prevention messages need to start early - in the first 1000 days of life (conception to 2nd year).
Both mothers and fathers need to hear oral health messages which have a lasting impact on health behaviours.
(Follow @alison-morton.bsky.social for more on the 1st 1000 days of life)
13/14
Both mothers and fathers need to hear oral health messages which have a lasting impact on health behaviours.
(Follow @alison-morton.bsky.social for more on the 1st 1000 days of life)
13/14
February 6, 2025 at 3:47 PM
Oral health prevention messages need to start early - in the first 1000 days of life (conception to 2nd year).
Both mothers and fathers need to hear oral health messages which have a lasting impact on health behaviours.
(Follow @alison-morton.bsky.social for more on the 1st 1000 days of life)
13/14
Both mothers and fathers need to hear oral health messages which have a lasting impact on health behaviours.
(Follow @alison-morton.bsky.social for more on the 1st 1000 days of life)
13/14
As well as challenging the food industry by taxing unhealthy foods, provision of healthy food needs to be encouraged.
12/14
12/14
February 6, 2025 at 3:47 PM
As well as challenging the food industry by taxing unhealthy foods, provision of healthy food needs to be encouraged.
12/14
12/14
The commercial determinants of health need to be addressed, especially the food/sugar industry.
#SugarTax reduces childhood hospital admissions for tooth extractions.
65% are in favour of a #SugarTax, increased to 76% if the tax gains are reinvested into healthcare systems.
11/14
#SugarTax reduces childhood hospital admissions for tooth extractions.
65% are in favour of a #SugarTax, increased to 76% if the tax gains are reinvested into healthcare systems.
11/14
February 6, 2025 at 3:47 PM
The impact of poor oral health is not limited to the mouth.
Good oral health enables ...
- Essential functions (eating, breathing, speaking)
- Self-confidence
- Well-being
- Ability to socialise
- Work without pain, discomfort, and embarrassment
10/14
Good oral health enables ...
- Essential functions (eating, breathing, speaking)
- Self-confidence
- Well-being
- Ability to socialise
- Work without pain, discomfort, and embarrassment
10/14
February 6, 2025 at 3:47 PM
The impact of poor oral health is not limited to the mouth.
Good oral health enables ...
- Essential functions (eating, breathing, speaking)
- Self-confidence
- Well-being
- Ability to socialise
- Work without pain, discomfort, and embarrassment
10/14
Good oral health enables ...
- Essential functions (eating, breathing, speaking)
- Self-confidence
- Well-being
- Ability to socialise
- Work without pain, discomfort, and embarrassment
10/14
Oral health prevention messages should not only come from oral healthcare professionals.
(I'm definitely with Prof Avijit Banderjee on this one.)
9/14
(I'm definitely with Prof Avijit Banderjee on this one.)
9/14
February 6, 2025 at 3:47 PM
Oral health prevention messages should not only come from oral healthcare professionals.
(I'm definitely with Prof Avijit Banderjee on this one.)
9/14
(I'm definitely with Prof Avijit Banderjee on this one.)
9/14
Integrating oral/general healthcare is vital.
'An 80-year breaks her hip. The operation goes well, but she has arthritis and bad eyesight so she doesn’t clean her mouth. Neither do the nursing staff. She dies of pneumonia.' Prof Eaton (paraphrase)
(This happens every day)
8/14
'An 80-year breaks her hip. The operation goes well, but she has arthritis and bad eyesight so she doesn’t clean her mouth. Neither do the nursing staff. She dies of pneumonia.' Prof Eaton (paraphrase)
(This happens every day)
8/14
February 6, 2025 at 3:47 PM
Integrating oral/general healthcare is vital.
'An 80-year breaks her hip. The operation goes well, but she has arthritis and bad eyesight so she doesn’t clean her mouth. Neither do the nursing staff. She dies of pneumonia.' Prof Eaton (paraphrase)
(This happens every day)
8/14
'An 80-year breaks her hip. The operation goes well, but she has arthritis and bad eyesight so she doesn’t clean her mouth. Neither do the nursing staff. She dies of pneumonia.' Prof Eaton (paraphrase)
(This happens every day)
8/14