People who have undergone appendectomy as children face a reduced risk of developing Parkinson’s disease, according to the findings of a major study in Sweden.
Researchers at the Van Andel Research Institute, Michigan, USA, say that the appendix may be a source of the disease, harbouring the alpha-synuclein proteins that are believed to contribute to the disease(pictured).
Their epidemiological study gains some support by laboratory research, identifying accumulation of these proteins in the appendix – although this was found in healthy people as well as those with Parkinson’s disease.
Both pieces of work were reported in Science Translational Medicine last night.
The analysis of the health records of 1.9 million people in Sweden over 52 years, involving Lund University, Sweden, found that appendectomy reduced the overall risk of developing Parkinson’s by 19.3%.
When an appendectomy patient developed Parkinson’s, onset of disease was delayed by an average of 3.6 years.
The researchers say their findings do not apply to the 10% of patients with Parkinson’s disease who have a known genetic trait.
Researcher Dr Viviane Labrie said: “Our results point to the appendix as a site of origin for Parkinson’s and provide a path forward for devising new treatment strategies that leverage the gastrointestinal tract’s role in the development of the disease.”
She added: “We were surprised that pathogenic forms of alpha-synuclein were so pervasive in the appendixes of people both with and without Parkinson’s. It appears that these aggregates — although toxic when in the brain — are quite normal when in the appendix. This clearly suggests their presence alone cannot be the cause of the disease.”
Fellow researcher Dr Bryan Killinger said: “Our findings today add a new layer to our understanding of this incredibly complex disease.
“We have shown that the appendix is a hub for the accumulation of clumped forms of alpha-synuclein proteins, which are implicated in Parkinson’s disease. This knowledge will be invaluable as we explore new prevention and treatment strategies.”
Killinger et al. The vermiform appendix impacts the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease. Science Translational Medicine 31 October 2018
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