INFLAMMATION AS A LINK BETWEEN THE GUT AND THE BRAIN IN PARKINSONISM
Keywords:
parkinsonism; Parkinson’s disease; interleukin-6; fecal calprotectin; Helicobacter pylori; intestinal inflammation; gut–brain axis; neuroinflammation; biomarkers.Abstract
In recent years, growing attention has been directed toward the role of inflammatory mechanisms and the gut–brain axis in the pathogenesis of parkinsonism. The aim of the present study was to evaluate local and systemic inflammatory markers — interleukin-6, fecal calprotectin, and Helicobacter pylori infection — in patients with Parkinson’s disease and vascular parkinsonism. The study included patients with various forms of parkinsonian disorders who underwent clinical assessment and laboratory evaluation of inflammatory markers. It was found that IL-6 levels were significantly higher in idiopathic Parkinson’s disease compared to vascular parkinsonism, whereas calprotectin demonstrated high variability and was associated with the later stages of the disease. H. pylori infection was detected predominantly in patients with Parkinson’s disease and correlated with disease duration and the severity of motor symptoms. These findings confirm the important role of intestinal and systemic inflammation in the development of pathological mechanisms underlying parkinsonism and highlight the potential value of these markers for differential diagnosis, risk stratification, and personalized patient management.
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