Parkinson’s disease shows significant link to damage in the gut

By Dr. Faith Coleman

Every year, about 90,000 people in the United States will be diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. At any given time, about one million Americans have the disorder, and that is expected to rise to 1.2 million by 2030. Despite these substantial numbers and intense research, the cause of Parkinson’s is still unclear.

However, scientists may be getting closer to identifying the cause. A study published in JAMA Network Open has found that upper gastrointestinal (GI) damage has an association with a 75% greater risk of a future diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease.

Parkinson’s disease is a progressive, degenerative disorder that primarily affects neurons (nerve cells) involved with movement. When neurons in the brain that produce the neurotransmitter (chemical messenger) dopamine become damaged or die, it leads to tremors, muscle rigidity, bradykinesia (slowing of movement), and impaired balance and coordination.

With Parkinson’s disease, nerve endings that produce the neurotransmitter norepinephrine are also lost. Norepinephrine controls automatic body functions such as pulse rate and blood pressure.

About 20 years ago, researchers proposed a “gut-first” hypothesis for the cause of Parkinson’s disease. The theory stated that in some patients, Parkinson’s disease begins in the gut and travels through the nervous system to the brain. Since that idea was proposed, many gut-related factors have been investigated for associations with the disease.

A research team led by Trisha Pasricha, MD, MPH, of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston investigated the association between upper GI mucosal (lining of the upper GI tract) damage and Parkinson’s disease. They studied 9,350 patients with no history of Parkinson’s who had upper GI endoscopy (direct visualization of the GI tract from the mouth to the small bowel) with biopsy. They defined mucosal damage as erosions, ulcers, or acid-induced injuries.

The team followed the patients for about 15 years. Of the patients with mucosal damage, 52 were diagnosed with Parkinson’s – 2.2% of this group. Of the patients without mucosal damage, 48 were diagnosed with Parkinson’s – only 0.5% of this group.

Source: Study Finds

Dr. Coleman is a graduate of the University of New Mexico School of Medicine and holds a BA in journalism from UNM. She completed her family practice residency at Wm. Beaumont Hospital, Troy and Royal Oak, MI, consistently ranked among the United States Top 100 Hospitals by US News and World Report. Dr. Coleman writes on health, medicine, family, and parenting for online information services and educational materials for health care providers.

Adblock test (Why?)