Two new studies expand understanding of link between PD and gastrointestinal dysfunction
Constipation is one of the most common non-motor related complaints affecting Parkinson's disease (PD) patients. Two important studies from the same research group published in the Journal of Parkinson's Disease expand the understanding of the relationship between PD and gastrointestinal dysfunction. In one study, investigators measured actual colonic dysfunction and compared it to reported constipation. In the other study, researchers tracked the position of an ingested wireless electromagnetic capsule using the novel 3D-Transit system in order to calculate gastrointestinal (GI) regional transit times.
"In the present study, 79% of early-stage PD patients had significantly increased CTT and 66% showed increased colonic volume," said lead investigator Per Borghammer, MD, PhD, DMSc, Department of Clinical Medicine - Positron Emission Tomography Center, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark. "The difference in CTT was more pronounced in the transverse, descending, and rectosigmoid segments of the colon, indicating that early stage PD patients exhibit a combination of slow transit and outlet constipation."
Tags: Constipation, CT, CT Scanning, Electromagnetic, Medicine, Parkinson's Disease, Positron Emission Tomography, Research, Small Intestine, Stomach, Tomography