Saturday 2 July 2011

NEW ARTICLE - PARKINSON'S AND THE GUT

A Prospective Study of Bowel Movement Frequency and Risk of Parkinson's Disease

Am J Epidemiol. 2011 Jun 30. [Epub ahead of print]

Gao X, Chen H, Schwarzschild MA, Ascherio A

This is another prospective study in two large cohorts (the Health Professionals Follow Up Study and the Nurses Health Study) that supports the theory that constipation precedes the movement symptoms in people with Parkinson's disease. 

It is important to recognise that constipation can have many causes and is common in the older general population. Parkinson's disease is much less common and as such only a very small number of people with constipation will later get the symptoms of Parkinson's disease. However, this association between Parkinson's and constipation may help scientists identify people at-risk far earlier. The Predict PD pilot study incorporates constipation in its questionnaire.

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