People whose appendix has been removed are THREE TIMES more likely to develop Parkinson's disease

New research suggests that people whose appendixes have been removed are more likely to develop Parkinson's disease later in life.

A study by Case Western Reserve University and the University Hospitals of the Cleveland Medical Center with more than 62 million patients found that people who had undergone the operation had a three times higher risk of developing Parkinson's disease.

Worldwide, more than 10 million people have Parkinson's disease, a devastating neurological disease without treatment, hitting comedian Robin Williams before his suicide in 2014.

The recently discovered link between the appendix and Parkinson's disease may provide a clue to the timing, location and why of Parkinson's disease.

Each year, about 300,000 Americans see their appendages erased, either because the organ – long considered superfluous – has broken down – either to prevent the emergency situation.

According to the new study, nearly 2,800 of them could develop Parkinson's disease.

When Ohio-based researchers analyzed data on 62.2 million Americans, they discovered that 488,190 people had undergone surgical procedures to remove their appendixes.

Of these, 4,470 were diagnosed later with Parkinson's disease, accounting for nearly 1% of the group.

This is not a very high proportion, but it is significantly more than the 0.29% of the 61.7 million who still had their appendages, but who had developed Parkinson's disease.

Scientists are not quite sure about the link between the appendix and a brain disease, but recent research suggests that they are on the right track when they follow a particular protein.

"Recent research on the cause of Parkinson's disease has focused on alpha synuclein, a protein found early in the gastrointestinal tract, early in the onset of Parkinson's disease," explains Dr. Mohammed Sheriff.

"That's why scientists around the world have been looking at the gastrointestinal tract, including the appendix, looking for evidence on the development of Parkinson's disease."

After the death of the patient, clusters of alpha synuclein, called Lewy bodies, can be observed by autopsy in the brain.

But in 2003, a team of German scientists suggested that Parkinson's disease could start in the gut, not the brain, as they had discovered similar clumps of protein in the gut of deceased patients.

Although the bowel-brain connection was demonstrated in the early twentieth century by Ivan Pavlov, the concept revived in 2004 when an experiment revealed that mice without intestinal bacteria had radically different responses to stress than those associated with intestinal bacteria.

International researchers have plunged into the intestine to discover ways to detect, treat, and disseminate Lewy bodies from the vagus nerve to the brain (the interstices of the nervous system) or even to prevent Lewy bodies from developing. to reach the brain.

Doctors consider the appendix – a dead tube that hangs in some way on the large intestine – an internal appendage virtually useless.

But recent research suggests that this could have a purpose: to help fight the infection.

And the link between its elimination and the significantly higher rates of Parkinson's disease suggests that the long-rejected body part could still serve a higher purpose.

"This research shows a clear relationship between the appendix, or its removal, and Parkinson's disease, but it's only an association," Dr. Sheriff said.

"Further research is needed to confirm this link and to better understand the mechanisms involved."