High prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection in Malaysian Parkinson's disease patients

Background: Studies have reported a higher prevalence of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection in Parkinson's disease. Objectives: To determine the frequency of H. pylori in patients with Parkinson's disease compared to controls and its effect on symptom severity and quality of life. Methods: A cross-sectional comparative study involving 29 Parkinson's disease patients and 23 controls. The 13C-urea breath test was used to diagnose H. pylori. Symptom severity and quality of life were assessed using the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) and 39-item Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-39), respectively. Results: The frequency of H. pylori infection was 48.3% in the Parkinson's disease group and 21.7% in controls (P=0.048). This became more significant (P=0.012) when we excluded relatives of H. pylori-positive patients from the control group. There was no association between Hoehn and Yahr stages, UPDRS and PDQ-39 scores, and H. pylori. Conclusion: H. pylori infection is more prevalent in the Malaysian Parkinson's disease population compared to controls (48.3% versus 21.7%). However, symptom severity and quality of life was not related to H. pylori infection.