The study finds fewer H. pylori infections in Parkinson's patients

The study finds fewer H. pylori infections in Parkinson's patients

Could a common stomach bug help protect the brain from Parkinson's? New research connectionsH. PyloriInfection with reduced disease risk and fresh opportunities in neurodegenerative science.

About half of the world hasHelicobacter pyloriinfections,which are usually associated with ulcers. However, a recently published study was published inScientific reportsrevealed a surprising twist: People with Parkinson's disease are significantly less likely to have itTest positive forH. PyloriInfections. This finding has revealed an unexpected association between a common gastrointestinal infection and a neurodegenerative disease, although causality remains unproven.

The gut and the brain

Growing evidence has shown that the gut does more than digest; It is closely involved in our immune defenses. Scientists now believe that gut health could influence diseases beyond the digestive system, including neurological disorders such as Parkinson's disease. Parkinson's disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disease worldwide, particularly in older adults. It causes tremors, stiffness, and slower movements, which often precede digestive symptoms such as constipation and delayed gastric emptying.

In the meantime,H. PyloriInfects about half of the world's population and is usually blamed for ulcers and stomach cancer. Recent studies suggest that this bacterium may play a protective role in certain autoimmune and inflammatory conditions, possibly by shaping immune responses early in life. However, the connection betweenH. Pyloriand Parkinson's disease remain unclear.

The current study

In the present study, researchers conducted a case-control investigation at Sichuan People's Hospital in China. It included 315 patients with Parkinson's disease between March 2022 and July 2024 using standardized diagnostic criteria and confirmation by neurologists. The control group included 22,383 outpatients who underwent routine testingH. Pyloriinfection during the same period. It is important to note that the average age of the Parkinson's disease group (approximately 65 years) was significantly higher than that of the outpatient controls (approximately 45 years). Statistical adjustments were made for age and other factors in the analyses.

To recognizeH. PyloriThe researchers used the non-invasive 13C-Eura breath test. Participants drank a solution containing a special form of urea, and breath samples were collected before and 30 minutes after ingestion. The test measured the change in carbon dioxide levels to determine infection status.

Participants with other neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease or multiple system atrophy and those who had used antacids or antibiotics in the previous four weeks were excluded from the study. It is important that people who have previously undergoneH. PyloriEradication therapy was not excluded because the study design could not distinguish between current and previous infections. While the inclusion of these individuals increases the “real world” relevance, this is primarily described as a methodological limitation rather than an explicit design rationale.

Researchers collected information on age, gender, medical history (including hypertension, diabetes, coronary disease, ulcers, and digestive cancer), and rural or urban residence using medical records and standardized interviews. They then used a series of statistical analyzes to examine potential correlations between Parkinson's disease and Parkinson's diseaseH. Pyloriinfections and adjusted for these variables in their models.

Key Findings

The study found that people with Parkinson's disease had significantly lower rates ofH. Pyloriinfection compared to the general outpatient population. This inverse relationship remained consistent across multiple analyses. A standard diagnostic threshold for theH. PyloriThe test showed that only 28.6% of patients with Parkinson's tested positive, compared to 33.9% of controls. At the more stringent threshold, 22.5% of patients with Parkinson's were positive, compared to 27.5% of controls.

Even after adjusting for age, gender, medical conditions and area of ​​residence, the differences remained significant. In multivariate analysis, Parkinson's patients had a lower odds of winning (or 0.74, 95% CI: 0.56–0.97, p = 0.030 for DOB ≥ 8) ofH. PyloriInfection. Furthermore, this trend persisted in rural and urban populations, although the contrast was more striking among rural participants, perhaps due to fewer lifestyle supporters.

To further verify these results, the researchers applied propensity scoring, creating a statistically balanced subgroup. Even in this sophisticated comparison, the gap existed - only 22.5% of cases tested positive for Parkinson's diseaseH. PyloriInfections (p = 0.009).

These results highlighted previous research that was linked to one anotherH. Pylorito worsen the symptoms of Parkinson's disease. Previous studies have often focused on how the bacteria interfered with levodopa absorption, a key Parkinson's disease drug. However, these studies had smaller sample sizes, and many did not control for environmental or regional differences. The present paper does not specifically highlight urban/rural or geographical constraints in previous research as a primary focus, instead emphasizing sample size and mechanistic uncertainty. Additionally, previous studies often included younger, more urban cohorts or had different geographic distributions, which could influence results.

The results of the present study suggested another possibility – thatH. Pylorimay play a protective role against Parkinson's disease. The authors suggested immune modulation as a possible mechanism, whereby H. pylori infection, particularly in childhood, increases regulatory T cell activity that dampens inflammation. This immune shift could reduce the risk of neurodegeneration later in life. However, the study design cannot determine whether H. pyloriH. PyloriColonization.

However, the study's single design and the inability to distinguish between previous and current infections were major limitations. The study also did not measure immune markers directly, limiting conclusions about the mechanisms behind this association. Other possible explanations, such asH. PyloriDetection cannot be ruled out; These factors were not directly discussed by the study authors. Nevertheless, the paper emphasizes the need for multicenter and mechanistic studies, and not simply larger sample sizes, to further validate and investigate these results.

Conclusions

In summary, the results reportedH. PyloriInfections were less common in people with Parkinson's disease. This suggested that the bacterium may play a protective role by influencing the body's immune system. Although more research is needed to examine how and why this happens, these findings open up new possibilities for understanding the gut-brain connection and its impact on neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's. The study authors emphasize that causality cannot be established and recommend further multicenter and mechanistic studies.

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