Parkinson's disease is a degenerative brain disease that is caused by nerve cell degeneration in the region of the brain that controls voluntary movement. Parkinson's disease symptoms include tremors, a shuffling walk, muscle stiffness, stooped posture, and a mask-like, expressionless face. The underlying cause of Parkinson's disease is unknown, although infection with H. pylori, a bacterium that causes peptic ulcers, has been implicated. Now research reports that treatment for H. pylori improved Parkinson's disease symptoms.
The randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled efficacy study, published in Helicobacter, compared the symptoms of Parkinson's patients who received treatment for H. pylori or a placebo. Researchers at the Institute of Psychiatry, London, UK administered H. pylori treatment to 7 Parkinson's patients and a placebo to 11 Parkinson's patients. Muscular function tests were obtained from the participants.
Researchers found that there was a greater improvement in walking stride-length and stance-walk in the H. pylori group than in the placebo group. Furthermore, the degree of muscle rigidity in the forearms was reduced in the H. pylori group, as compared with the placebo group.
The study authors suggest that H. pylori treatment may have stopped the production of toxins which can cause cumulative damage over time. "Interim analysis points to a direct or surrogate (not necessarily unique) role of a particular infection in the pathogenesis of parkinsonism," the study authors write. "With eradication failure, bolus release of antigen from killed bacteria could aggravate an effect of ongoing infection."
REFERENCES:
1. Bjarnason IT et al. Role of chronic infection and inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract in the etiology and pathogenesis of idiopathic parkinsonism. Part 2: response of facets of clinical idiopathic parkinsonism to Helicobacter pylori eradication. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled efficacy study. Helicobacter 2005 Aug;10(4):276-87.
Posted by Elaine Gavalas on July 18, 2006 01:50 PM
