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Fecal Microbiota Transplant No Aid for Parkinson Disease

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Aug 2, 2024.

By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter

FRIDAY, Aug. 2, 2024 -- Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is safe but does not offer clinically meaningful improvements for Parkinson disease (PD), according to a study published online July 29 in JAMA Neurology.

Filip Scheperjans, M.D., Ph.D., from Helsinki University Hospital, and colleagues randomly assigned (2:1) 47 patients with PD (aged 35 to 75 years) in Hoehn & Yahr stage 1 to 3 and dysbiosis of fecal microbiota to receive FMT or placebo via colonoscopy.

The researchers found that the primary outcome of change of Movement Disorder Society Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale parts I-III (part III off medication) at six months did not differ between the groups. The FMT group had more gastrointestinal adverse events more frequently (16 versus 1). In the placebo group, there was a stronger increase in dopaminergic medication and improvement of certain motor and nonmotor outcomes. While microbiota changes were more pronounced after FMT, they differed by donor. Yet, in the placebo group, dysbiosis status was reversed more frequently.

"Further studies -- for example, through modified FMT approaches or bowel cleansing -- are warranted regarding the specific impact of donor microbiota composition and dysbiosis conversion on motor and nonmotor outcomes as well as medication needs in PD," the authors write.

Several authors disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries.

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Posted August 2024

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