Parkinson's disease may be associated with the peptic ulcer causing bacterium Helicobacter pylori, say researchers who found that eradication of the bacterium significantly improves certain physical abilities in people with the neurological condition.
Parkinson's disease is a degenerative brain disorder in which neurons in a specific area of the brain become dysfunctional. Symptoms of Parkinson's disease include tremors, muscular rigidity or stiffness, slowness of movement, balance problems and difficulties with handwriting and other forms of communication such as speech and facial expressions.
Writing in the journal Helicobacter, Dr Inguar Bjarnason, from Guy's, King's and St. Thomas' School of Medicine in London, UK, and colleagues explain that previous research suggests that many people with Parkinson's disease have a prior diagnosis of peptic ulcer, but the relationship between this stomach condition and the development of Parkinson's disease is not known.
For their study, the researchers compared the severity of Parkinson's symptoms, such as poor muscular function, in seven patients who received active treatment for H. pylori infection and 11 patients who received a dummy treatment (placebo).
The results indicated that there was a greater improvement in walking stride-length in the Parkinson's patients who received treatment for H. pylori infection than in those who received placebo, the majority of whom showed reductions in stride length.
The degree of muscle rigidity in the forearms was also reduced in patients who underwent H. pylori treatment, compared with those who took placebo.
The researchers conclude that the eradication of H. pylori halts the production of toxins by the bacterium, "which may have caused cumulative damage over decades", therefore improving some aspects of physical functioning in people with Parkinson's disease.
They add that more studies are needed to investigate the relationship between infection with H. pylori and other micro-organisms and the development of Parkinson's disease further.