A recently published long-term study points to unexpected links between Parkinson's disease and the cecum. Scientists concluded that removal of the cecum reduces the risk of developing parkinsonism by 20%.
How is Parkinson's disease related to the digestive tract?
Parkinson's disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer's. In Russia, several hundred thousand people suffer from the consequences of this disease.
Parkinson's disease is diagnosed by symptoms such as tremors or muscle stiffness. When the first symptoms appear, obvious changes in the brain tissue are already observed.
Scientists have long suspected that Parkinson's disease originates in the digestive tract. A new study concluded that people without a cecum are less likely to develop Parkinson's disease.
According to the results of the study, up to 25% of patients without the cecum are less susceptible to the development of the disease. Nevertheless, researchers caution against carrying out prophylactic removal of the cecum.
The study was recently published in the journal Evidence-Based Medicine. The results of scientific work are based on data on the incidence of a total of 1.6 million people. For the first time, indications were received of the possible effect of the cecum on the development of Parkinson's disease.
Researchers found that the remote cecum reduced the risk of developing Parkinson's disease by about 20%.
The strength of the effect varied depending on the age when the cecum was removed. If it was eliminated at an early age, people fell ill on average 3.6 years later than the rest.
It is still known that certain intestinal complaints can be harbingers of Parkinson's disease. They usually occur years before the first symptoms.
According to one theory, Parkinson's disease is caused by the accumulation of alpha synuclein in a region of the brain called the “black substance”. This theory is supported by the fact that in previous studies, scientists also discovered aggregated alpha synuclein in the nerve cells of the gastrointestinal tract.
In a new study, specialists also looked for alpha synuclein in distant appendix processes. They found them in the cecum, even in healthy people. And that seems to affect the risk of Parkinson's diagnosis. In addition, this ratio is in good agreement with static data.
The study mainly concerns the appendix, which, according to the authors, contains a large amount of alpha synuclein. High concentrations are already observed in adolescence. Ultimately, they can penetrate the branches of the vagus nerve, enter the brain and cause Parkinson's disease there.
Some researchers suggest that alpha synuclein accumulates in the digestive tract decades before the onset of the disease. Then toxic proteins are distributed to the brain through the peripheral nervous system.
Should the cecum be removed?
Surprisingly, the results of up to 25% of Parkinson's diagnoses may be related to cecal removal.
For prevention, it is pointless to remove the cecum, as experts emphasize.
According to the study, thousands of healthy people had to be operated on at a relatively young age. This would supposedly help prevent Parkinson's disease in later life.
However, so far there is only one correlation. Causation is not yet proven. The links between Parkinson's disease and the cecum should be more accurately established in further studies.
Nevertheless, this study is an important step towards revealing the mechanisms of the development of the disease. Scientists can use these results to find new drugs to treat a neurological disorder. In this regard, research can certainly be an important milestone in the fight against Parkinson's disease.
It is not recommended to remove the cecum or perform other surgical procedures without consulting a doctor. The potential health risk (according to current knowledge) does not exceed the health benefits.
