Stomach issues could be a 'warning sign of Parkinson’s'

Constipation, difficulty swallowing and gastroparesis were all associated with a doubled risk for developing disease

Scientists from Belgium and the US were exploring Braak’s hypothesis, which states that Parkinson’s disease originates in the gastrointestinal tract. PA

Gut problems such as constipation or irritable bowel syndrome could be warning signs of an impending Parkinson’s diagnosis, a study has suggested.

Researchers hope the findings – published in the medical journal Gut – will make doctors take note when patients at risk of Parkinson’s report stomach issues.

Scientists from Belgium and the US were exploring Braak’s hypothesis, which states that Parkinson’s disease originates in the gastrointestinal tract.

Similar suggestions have been made for the likes of Alzheimer’s disease and cerebrovascular disease, also known as brain aneurysm and stroke.

They used data from the US medical record network TriNetX comprising 24,624 people with Parkinson’s, 19,046 people with Alzheimer’s and 23,942 people with cerebrovascular disease.

Those with Parkinson’s were matched with patients in other groups by age, sex, race and length of diagnosis, with the frequency of gut conditions compared on their records for an average of six years before diagnosis.

The team then divided all the adults in the network who had been diagnosed with any one of 18 gut conditions into separate groups.

They were then matched with people without the gut condition and monitored via medical records for five years to see how many developed Parkinson’s or other neurological diseases.

The symptoms of Parkinson's Disease – in pictures

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  Sheikh Juma with Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi staff Ayah Jammali, an occupational therapist, and Dr Shivam Mittal from the Neurological Institute. Photo: Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi

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  Dr Mittal said a combination of therapy, support and drugs can significantly improve quality of life for Parkinson's patients. Photo: Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi

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  Parkinson's is a degenerative condition that causes nerve cells to die. This prevents signals from travelling to the body, which causes movement and speech problems. Pawan Singh / The National

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  Doctors said they have an array of treatments including surgery, medicines, exercise support and therapy, which can significantly improve quality of life. Courtesy: Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi

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  Regular exercise and breathing can help patients to improve movement, stay active and overcome anxiety and depression, which is common. Ravindranath K / The National

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  Regular exercise and breathing can help patients to improve movement, stay active and overcome anxiety and depression, which is common. AFP

Both studies found four gut conditions were associated with a higher risk of Parkinson’s.

These included constipation, difficulty swallowing and gastroparesis – a condition that slows the movement of food to the small intestine – which were all associated with a doubled risk for developing Parkinson’s in the five years prior to diagnosis.

Patients suffering from IBS without diarrhoea were 17 per cent more at risk.

The team said the study “is the first to establish substantial observational evidence” that a clinical diagnosis of gut issues “might specifically predict the development of Parkinson’s disease”.

“These findings warrant alertness for [gastrointestinal] syndromes in patients at higher risk for Parkinson’s disease and highlight the need for further investigation of [gastrointestinal] precedents in Alzheimer’s disease and cerebrovascular disease,” they added.

Clare Bale, associate director of research at Parkinson’s UK, said the “findings add further weight” to the hypothesis and gut problems could be an early sign of the disease.

“Understanding how and why gut issues appear in the early stages of Parkinson’s could open up opportunities for early detection and treatment approaches that target the gut to improve symptoms and even slow or stop the progression of the condition,” she said.