Prevalence of Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth in Parkinson's Disease

Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) is associated with gastrointestinal motility abnormalities that could favor the occurrence of small intestinal bacterial overgrowth. The aim of the study was to assess the prevalence of small intestinal bacterial overgrowth in PD patients. Methods: Consecutive PD patients were enrolled. The controls were subjects without PD. All patients and controls underwent the glucose breath test to assess small intestinal bacterial overgrowth. Results: Forty‐eight PD patients and 36 controls were enrolled. The prevalence of small intestinal bacterial overgrowth was significantly higher in PD patients than in controls (54.17% vs 8.33%; P < .0001; OR, 2.24; 95% CI, 3.50–48.24). Multivariate analysis showed Hoehn and Yahr stage (OR, 3.07; 95% CI, 1.14–8.27) and Unified PD Rating score (OR, 1.12; 95% CI, 1.02–1.23) were significantly associated with small intestinal bacterial overgrowth in PD patients. Conclusions: Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth is highly prevalent in PD. Gastrointestinal motility abnormalities might explain this association. © 2011 Movement Disorder Society