Gastrointestinal Problems May Increase Parkinson’s Risk by 76%: JAMA Study Finds
Digestive problems, including ulcers in one’s food
pipe or stomach, could increase the risk of Parkinson’s
disease by 76 per cent, according to a new study. Analysing endoscopy
reports of 9,350 patients, the authors found that people having upper
gastrointestinal conditions — specifically, ulcers or other types of damage to
the lining of the oesophagus, stomach, or upper part of the
small intestine — were far more likely to develop
Parkinson’s disease later in life.
These findings, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Network Open researchers add to a growing body of
evidence that ageing-related or neurodegenerative disease, long thought to
originate in the brain, could begin in the gut.
evidence that ageing-related or neurodegenerative disease, long thought to
originate in the brain, could begin in the gut.
Gastrointestinal problems are known to be common in patients suffering from
neurodegenerative disorders, the authors said.
neurodegenerative disorders, the authors said.
The researchers at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, US, said that
gastrointestinal troubles experienced by patients of Parkinson’s disease often
appear up to two decades before symptoms such as tremors or stiffness in arms
or legs, which interfere with one’s movement and are usually the grounds for
diagnosis.
gastrointestinal troubles experienced by patients of Parkinson’s disease often
appear up to two decades before symptoms such as tremors or stiffness in arms
or legs, which interfere with one’s movement and are usually the grounds for
diagnosis.
They said that digestive issues can involve constipation, drooling, difficulty
in swallowing, and a delayed emptying of the stomach.
in swallowing, and a delayed emptying of the stomach.
Constipation and difficulty in swallowing were strong risk factors related to
a more than doubling of Parkinson’s disease risk, the authors said.
a more than doubling of Parkinson’s disease risk, the authors said.
One of the possible biological mechanisms underlying
these relationships between the gut and the risk of Parkinson’s disease could be
problems in regulating dopamine, a brain chemical known to play a key role in
digestion, they said.
these relationships between the gut and the risk of Parkinson’s disease could be
problems in regulating dopamine, a brain chemical known to play a key role in
digestion, they said.
The authors also proposed that gastrointestinal conditions could trigger the
building up of the protein ‘alpha-synuclein’, which is how Parkinson’s disease
presents in the brain.
building up of the protein ‘alpha-synuclein’, which is how Parkinson’s disease
presents in the brain.
Future research could help understand these mechanisms better, they added.
Reference: Chang JJ, Kulkarni S, Pasricha
TS. Upper Gastrointestinal Mucosal Damage and Subsequent Risk of Parkinson
Disease. JAMA Netw Open. 2024;7(9):e2431949.
doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.31949
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