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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., (Copyright © 2011 Movement Disorder Society.)

To investigate the safety and efficacy of botulinum toxin type A (BoNTX) treatment to reduce sialorrhea in Parkinson's disease (PD), a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study enrolled 32 PD patients complaining of excessive drooling. Patients received either 50 U Botox in each parotid gland or placebo without using ultrasound guidance. Subjects treated with BoNTX experienced a reduction in both drooling frequency and familial and social disability (TimexGroup effect: P<0.01), as well as in saliva production (Time x Group effect: P<0.0001). No adverse events were recorded. BoNTX injections are safe and effective treatment for the management of PD-related drooling., (Copyright (c) 2006 Movement Disorder Society.)

Chronic subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation (STN-DBS) is an efficacious treatment for idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD) that cannot be further improved by medical therapy. We present a case of an individual with juvenile parkinsonism caused by homozygous deletion of exon 3 in the parkin gene with disabling long-term side-effects from levodopa who underwent bilateral STN neuromodulation. Parkin-linked parkinsonism may show clinical features different from sporadic PD, yet it shares levodopa responsiveness. Because levodopa responsiveness is a predictor of STN-DBS efficacy, we argued that this kind of surgical approach might be efficacious in hereditary parkin-linked juvenile parkinsonism. We evaluated clinical and functional assessment before and 12 months after surgery. The results showed that the Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scales Motor score improved by 84% in our patient, the levodopa equivalent daily dose medication (LEDD) was reduced by 66%, and, finally, disabling and severe dyskinesias disappeared., (2004 Movement Disorder Society.)