Skip to main content

Specific GI Syndromes Linked to Parkinson Disease

Medically reviewed by Drugs.com.

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

FRIDAY, Aug. 25, 2023 -- Specific gastrointestinal (GI) syndromes including dysphagia, gastroparesis, constipation, and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) without diarrhea are associated with Parkinson disease (PD), according to a study published online Aug. 24 in Gut.

Bo Konings, from the KU Leuven University Hospitals in Belgium, and colleagues performed a combined case-control and cohort study using the U.S.-based medical record network TriNetX. Individuals with new-onset idiopathic PD were compared to matched negative controls (NCs) and patients with contemporary diagnoses of Alzheimer disease (AD) and cerebrovascular diseases to examine preceding GI syndromes.

The case-control analysis included 24,624 PD patients compared to NCs. Specific associations were seen for gastroparesis, dysphagia, IBS without diarrhea, and constipation with PD (compared with NC and patients with AD and cerebrovascular diseases) in the case-control analysis (odds ratios, 4.64, 3.58, 3.53, and 3.32, respectively, versus NCs) and in cohort analyses (relative risks, 2.43, 2.27, 1.17, and 2.38, respectively, versus NCs). In the case-control and cohort analyses, IBS with constipation and intestinal pseudo-obstruction showed PD specificity (odds ratio, 4.11 and relative risk, 1.84, respectively). In the cohort analysis, appendectomy reduced the risk for PD (relative risk, 0.48). No associations were seen for inflammatory bowel disease or vagotomy with PD.

"These findings warrant alertness for GI syndromes in patients at higher risk for PD and highlight the need for further investigation of GI precedents in AD and [cerebrovascular diseases]," the authors write.

Abstract/Full Text

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Read this next

American Academy of Neurology, April 13-18

The annual meeting of the American Academy of Neurology was held this year from April 13 to 18 in Denver, drawing participants from around the world, including clinicians...

Subcutaneous Infusion of Levodopa-Carbidopa Beneficial for Parkinson Disease

THURSDAY, April 11, 2024 -- Subcutaneous infusion of ND0612 (a levodopa-carbidopa solution) increases on time without troublesome dyskinesia among patients with Parkinson disease...

Lixisenatide Reduces Motor Disability Progression in Parkinson Disease

THURSDAY, April 4, 2024 -- For patients with Parkinson disease, lixisenatide yields less progression of motor disability than placebo, according to a study published in the April...

More news resources

Subscribe to our newsletter

Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.