Flathead Valley Parkinson's Support Group

9/5/24: Parkinson’s may begin in the gut, study says, adding to growing evidence

Researchers found that people with upper gastrointestinal conditions were far more likely to develop Parkinson’s disease later in life.

By Meeri Kim

September 5, 2024 at 10:00 a.m. EDT

A new study adds to a growing body of evidence that Parkinson’s disease, long believed to have its origins in the brain, may begin in the gut.

Gastrointestinal problems are common in patients with neurodegenerative disorders, to the point where a condition known as “institutional colon” was once thought to afflict those who lived in mental health institutions. In Parkinson’s disease, the entire gastrointestinal tract is affected, causing complications such as constipation, drooling, trouble swallowing and delayed emptying of the stomach. These symptoms often appear up to two decades before motor symptoms such as rigidity or tremor.

“People have, for the longest time, described Parkinson’s disease as a top-down disease — so, it starts in the brain and then percolates down to the gut, and that’s why patients have issues with their gastrointestinal tract,” said study author Subhash Kulkarni, an assistant professor at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. “Another hypothesis suggests that, in many patients, it may be a bottom-up approach, where it starts in the gut and goes all the way up to the brain.”

For the full article, check out this link from the Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2024/09/05/parkinsons-disease-gut-study/