11 Sept 2023 • A new study suggests that certain gastrointestinal (GI) conditions, including dysphagia, gastroparesis, constipation, and irritable bowel syndrome without diarrhea, can predict the development of Parkinson's disease (PD).

Detecting these conditions early may help identify individuals at risk for PD and enable the implementation of preventive strategies. Previous experimental studies supported the idea that PD may originate in the gut in some patients, known as the Braak hypothesis, but this study is the first to investigate a wide range of GI symptoms and syndromes preceding a PD diagnosis.

The researchers compared individuals with PD to controls, Alzheimer's disease (AD), and cerebrovascular disease (CVD) patients, finding that several GI syndromes were significantly associated with PD.

Notably, gastroparesis, dysphagia, IBS with constipation, IBS without diarrhea, and constipation were specific to PD, although gastroparesis and constipation lost significance after statistical correction. Other GI conditions were associated with both PD and AD/CVD groups.

This study highlights the potential link between specific GI symptoms and the development of Parkinson's disease.

Source: Medscape | Read full story