Patients with upper gastrointestinal mucosal damage were found to have a 76% increased risk of developing Parkinson's disease, according to a recent study. 

In the cohort study, published in JAMA Network Open, investigators identified a significant association between upper gastrointestinal (GI) mucosal damage and the subsequent risk of Parkinson's disease (PD). The study, conducted within the Mass General Brigham system, examined 9,350 participants with no prior history of PD who underwent upper endoscopy between 2000 and 2005.

The investigators recruited participants with an average age of 52.3 years (SD = 20.3 years) and 55.4% of the participants were male. The racial distribution among the participants consisted of 73.7% White, 7.9% Black, and 2.9% Asian. The average follow-up period for the study participants was 14.9 years (standard deviation [SD] = 6.9 years).

The investigators found that the participants with endoscopic findings of mucosal damage such as erosions, esophagitis, ulcers, or peptic injury, had a 76% increased risk of developing PD compared with matched controls without mucosal damage (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.76, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.11–2.51). The incidence rate ratio was 4.15 (95% CI = 2.89–5.97), indicating a notably higher likelihood of PD diagnosis in this population. 

Several covariates were linked to an elevated risk of developing PD, including constipation with an HR of 2.65 (95% CI = 1.72–4.08, P < .001), dysphagia with an HR of 2.33 (95% CI = 1.52–3.56, P < .001), older age with an HR of 1.04 per year (95% CI = 1.02–1.05, P < .001), and the Charlson-Deyo Comorbidity Index with an HR of 1.21 (95% CI = 1.09–1.35, P < .001).

Full disclosures can be found in the published study.