Parkinson’s and microbiota : General factors and possible implications on health and disease

Abstract: Parkinson’s disease is one of the leading neurodegenerative diseases that affect elderly people around the globe. In recent years, Parkinson’s disease has been connected to gut microbiome and associations have been made among several novel species of bacteria and the development and severity of Parkinson’s disease. The aim of this study was to identify general characteristics of the gut microbiome among incident Parkinson’s disease cases and controls and by this broaden our current understanding of the topic. Statistical analyses were performed in a FINRISK 2002 population-based cohort of over 7000 people, out of which 105 incident Parkinson’s disease cases were identified and further analysed.