A small organ thatâs often considered useless might play a major role in whether or not a person develops Parkinsonâs disease, according to a new study.
Scientists have long believed that Parkinsonâs, an incurable neurodegenerative disease that affects more than 100,000 Canadians, may begin in the brain.
But a new study suggests that the tremor-inducing illness could have roots in an entirely different site much lower in the body: the appendix.
Researchers analyzed more than 1 million medical records and found that people who had their appendixes surgically removed had a lower risk of developing the brain disease.
âWe found that removing the appendix was associated with a decreased risk of Parkinsonâs disease, as high as a 20 per cent decrease,â Viviane Labrie, a Canadian neuroscientist and geneticist who led the research team out of Michiganâs Van Andel Research Institute, told ŰÎŰ´ŤĂ˝.
âIt also delayed the progression of the illness, so in patients who did go on to develop Parkinsonâs disease, we had a 3.6-year delay in the onset of Parkinsonâs.â
Researchers made the finding after combing through Swedenâs national health database, which keeps medical records of almost 1.7 million people going back to the mid-1960s.
One of the key findings, Labrie said, is that a clump protein considered the âhallmark pathologyâ of Parkinsonâs was found in the appendixes of all individuals studied â no matter their age or health.
Researchers consider the appendix a âhubâ containing the potentially dangerous protein, known as the alpha-synuclein.
âItâs present in everyone,â Labrie said. âAnd we think only in rare instances would it be able to accumulate excessively and escape the appendix and potentially enter the brain and cause Parkinsonâs disease.â
Alpha-synuclein is known for its ability to move around the body. The protein can jump from neuron to neuron, and research has shown that itâs capable of travelling up the gastrointestinal tract and entering the brain.
Labrie likens the protein to a âseedâ that can potentially spread once inside the brain.
Scientists have hypothesized a link between the gastrointestinal tract and Parkinsonâs disease before, but the new study is the first to conduct a thorough investigation that examined human tissue samples.
And while researchers say theyâve found a source of the harmful proteins, there could be more sources of alpha-synucleins within the GI tract.
Because of this uncertainty, researchers say itâs far too soon to call your surgeon and schedule an appendectomy.
Instead, Labrie said more research is needed to find ways to control the rogue protein.
âI think a much better intervention is to dampen down the levels or excess clump protein associated with this illness,â Labrie said.
One of the more quizzical findings: people living in rural areas who underwent appendectomies appeared to benefit most from the reduced risk.
Researchers suggest that this link could point to the role of environmental factors, such as pesticides or herbicides, in the diseaseâs genesis.
Dr. Anthony Lang, a neurologist at Toronto Western Hospital, said more research is necessary before doctors establish the best way forward.
âWeâve got a very complicated situation that we still donât fully understand. Our understanding is quite rudimentary. So this is one additional piece of information that has us interested and encourages further research.â
Parkinsonâs disease is the second-most common neurodegenerative disorder, following Alzheimerâs disease.
According to Statistics Canada, the average age when Canadians first experience the disease is 64. About 5 per cent of people living in residential care facilities in Canada are diagnosed with the illness.
Individuals with Parkinsonâs disease can experience a range of debilitating symptoms including tremors, slurred speech, restricted muscle movements and inhibited reflexes.
With a report by ŰÎŰ´ŤĂ˝â medical affairs specialist Avis Favaro and producer Elizabeth St. Philip