People suffering from poor gut health with constipation and nausea for a long period may signal the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease, according to a study that shows the neurological disorder may begin in the gut and not the brain. 

Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder. It affects an estimated 8.5 million people worldwide; and is majorly characterised by tremors, stiffness, and loss of balance.

The study, published in the journal Cerebral Cortex, found that a history of damage to the lining of the upper gastrointestinal (GI) tract has a 76 per cent higher chance of developing Parkinson’s.

Trisha S. Pasricha, a neurogastroenterologist at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) in the US noted that science is yet to completely unravel how the gut exerts enormous influence on the brain.

She said that decades before developing typical motor symptoms like difficulty walking or tremors, Parkinson’s patients “experience GI symptoms like constipation and nausea for years”.

To explore the “gut-first hypothesis”, the team conducted a retrospective cohort study involving more than 10,000 patients who underwent an upper endoscopy (EGD) — a procedure to image and diagnose problems in the oesophagus, stomach, and first portion of the small intestine — between the year 2000 and 2005.

After over 14 years, patients who suffered injuries to the lining of the upper GI tract, also called mucosal damage, showed a 76 per cent higher risk of developing Parkinson’s disease

The study highlights the necessity for heightened monitoring of these patients because it can open new avenues for early intervention and treatment strategies.

Understanding the link between mucosal damage and Parkinson’s disease pathology may be crucial to finding early recognition of risk as well as potential intervention, Pasricha noted.