A recent study found that people suffering from poor gut health with constipation and nausea for a long period may signal the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease. The study, published in the journal Cerebral Cortex shows the neurological disorder may begin in the gut and not the brain.
Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that affects the nervous system and different parts of the body that are controlled by the nerves. Symptoms of the condition start to develop slowly and the initial symptoms are barely noticeable as it might just be a slight tremor in one hand. Tremors are common but the disorder also may cause stiffness or slowing of movement.
Mayo Clinic says that in the early stages of Parkinson’s disease, your face may show little or no expression. Your arms may not swing when you walk. Your speech may become soft or slurred. Parkinson’s disease symptoms worsen as your condition progresses over time. The neurodegenerative disorder affects nearly 8.5 million people across the world.
The study found that a history of damage to the lining of the upper gastrointestinal (GI) tract has a 76 per cent higher chance of developing Parkinson’s.
Trisha S. Pasricha, a neurogastroenterologist at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) in the US said that science is yet to completely unravel how the gut exerts enormous influence on the brain. She said that decades before developing typical motor symptoms like difficulty walking or tremors, Parkinson’s patients “experience GI symptoms like constipation and nausea for years”.
To explore the “gut-first hypothesis”, the researchers conducted a retrospective cohort study which included more than 10,000 patients who underwent an upper endoscopy (EGD) which is a procedure to image and diagnose problems in the oesophagus, stomach and first portion of the small intestine between the year 2000 and 2005.
After over 14 years, patients who suffered injuries to the lining of the upper GI tract which is also known as mucosal damage showed a 76 per cent higher risk of developing Parkinson’s disease. The study highlights the importance of heightened monitoring of these patients because it can open new avenues for early intervention and treatment strategies.
Parkinson’s disease symptoms can be different for everyone. Early symptoms may be mild and go unnoticed. Symptoms usually begin on one side of the body and usually remain worse on that side, even after symptoms begin to affect the limbs on both sides.
Pasricha said that understanding the link between mucosal damage and Parkinson’s disease pathology may be important to finding early recognition of risk as well as potential intervention.
(With inputs from IANS)