Affiliations 

  • 1 Division of Neurology and the Mah Pooi Soo & Tan Chin Nam Centre for Parkinson's & Related Disorders, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  • 2 Department of Medicine (Division of Gastroenterology), University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  • 3 Morton and Gloria Shulman Movement Disorders Centre and the Edmond J. Safra Program in Parkinson's Disease, Toronto Western Hospital, Canada
  • 4 Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  • 5 Department of Medicine (Division of Neurology), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  • 6 Institute of Biological Sciences, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  • 7 Division of Neurology and the Mah Pooi Soo & Tan Chin Nam Centre for Parkinson's & Related Disorders, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Electronic address: limshenyang@ymail.com
Parkinsonism Relat Disord, 2015 Mar;21(3):221-5.
PMID: 25560322 DOI: 10.1016/j.parkreldis.2014.12.009

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Some studies have suggested that chronic Helicobacter pylori (HP) infection can aggravate the neurodegenerative process in Parkinson's disease (PD), and targeted intervention could potentially modify the course of this disabling disease. We aimed to study the impact of HP infection on motor function, gastrointestinal symptoms, and quality of life in a large cohort of PD patients.
METHODS: 102 consecutive PD patients underwent (13)C urea breath testing and blinded evaluations consisting of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) including "On"-medication motor examination (Part III), objective and quantitative measures of bradykinesia (Purdue Pegboard and timed gait), Leeds Dyspepsia Questionnaire, and PDQ-39 (a health-related quality of life questionnaire).
RESULTS: 32.4% of PD patients were HP-positive. HP-positive patients were older (68.4 ± 7.3 vs. 63.8 ± 8.6 years, P = 0.009) and had worse motor function (UPDRS Part III 34.0 ± 13.0 vs. 27.3 ± 10.0, P = 0.04; Pegboard 6.4 ± 3.3 vs. 8.0 ± 2.7 pins, P = 0.04; and timed gait 25.1 ± 25.4 vs. 15.5 ± 7.6 s, P = 0.08). In the multivariate analysis, HP status demonstrated significant main effects on UPDRS Part III and timed gait. The association between HP status and these motor outcomes varied according to age. Gastrointestinal symptoms and PDQ-39 Summary Index scores did not differ between the two groups.
CONCLUSIONS: This is the largest cross-sectional study to demonstrate an association between HP positivity and worse PD motor severity.
KEYWORDS: Gastrointestinal dysfunction; Helicobacter pylori; Parkinson's disease

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.