Thursday, November 1, 2018

Appendix Removal Lowers Parkinson’s Disease Risk

Undergoing an appendectomy, surgical removal of the organ, decades before the onset of Parkinson's
Having your appendix removed may decrease the risk of developing Parkinson's disease later in life.

A study published Wednesday in Science Translational Medicine found that having the appendix removed early in life is linked to a 19 percent decrease in the risk of developing Parkinson's disease, an incurable disorder of the central nervous system that affects movement.

The appendix is in the lower right abdomen and is attached to and opens into the lower end of the large intestine. Its function is mostly unknown, though some experts believe it stores good bacteria, which can help the digestive system. However, others believe it is an organ from our "evolutionary past" that no longer serves a function, according to WedMD. Many people have their appendix surgically removed if problems arise and there are no effects on their health.

Undergoing an appendectomy, surgical removal of the organ, decades before the onset of Parkinson's "was associated with a substantial decrease in the risk" for developing the disease "and postponed the age of diagnosis."


Researchers analyzed 1.6 million people in Sweden and found that in people who had had their appendix removed the overall risk of developing Parkinson's was decreased by 19.3 percent and the prevalence of the disease in people who had undergone an appendectomy was 16.9 percent lower relative to the general population.

Additionally, the age of diagnosis was, on average, 1.6 years later in people who had undergone an appendectomy 20 or more years prior and there was a delay in the onset of Parkinson's symptoms in people who had undergone the procedure 30 or more years prior.

The researchers found that the appendix stores abnormal proteins called α-synuclein, which have been closely linked to the development and progression of Parkinson's. These findings suggest that gut bacteria may play a role in the development of the disease.

As part of the study, researchers conducted a separate analysis of an American database of 849 Parkinson's patients. They found that people who had had their appendix removed 30 years prior had a delay in the onset of symptoms by 3.6 years compared to patients with Parkinson's who had not had an appendectomy, supporting "the hypothesis that the appendix plays a role in the development or triggering" of Parkinson's disease.

However, researchers also found that people not diagnosed with Parkinson's who had undergone appendectomies were also found to have the abnormal protein, which suggests that α-synuclein is not solely responsible for the development of Parkinson's and having an appendectomy does not offer complete protection from developing the disease.



Source: usnews.com

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