Having a colonoscopy will not increase the risk of Parkinson’s disease

What is it about?

Parkinson’s disease is a condition where a protein called α-synuclein misfolds and clumps together in nerve cells, causing damage. These clumps can spread from sick to healthy nerve cells, and they can be released from affected nerve cells of the gut into the lumen of the gut, where they can be found in stool. Scientists have shown that α-synuclein clumps can cause Parkinson’s disease in mice after injecting or “feeding” mice with α-synuclein clumps. This raises the question of whether α-synuclein clumps can also be accidentally transmitted from person to person in procedures like colonoscopies. This study looked at whether having a colonoscopy is linked to a higher risk of developing Parkinson’s disease. We found no increased risk of Parkinson’s disease following any type of colonoscopy, when taking into account other diseases and the risk of death. In fact, those who had colonoscopies for routine cancer screening had a 40% lower risk of developing Parkinson’s disease. This might be because these individuals tend to lead healthier lifestyles overall.

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Photo by Arseny Togulev on Unsplash

Photo by Arseny Togulev on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Getting a colonoscopy, especially for cancer screening, does not increase the risk of Parkinson’s disease. There is no need to be afraid of colonoscopy procedures in terms of developing Parkinson’s disease. This work highlights once again that mortality and the influence of other diseases need to be considered when assessing the risk of a disease in older people.