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Is constipation an early sign of Parkinson's disease?
Last reviewed: 06.07.2025
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People who suffer from constant or intermittent constipation are almost three times more likely to develop Parkinson's disease than people with normal bowel movements, according to a new study. Although constipation itself does not cause Parkinson's disease, long-standing constipation problems can be the first signs of the disorder, many authors write. Consider the connection between constipation and Parkinson's disease.
Historical Facts About Parkinson's Disease
In 1817, when James Parkinson first described Parkinson's disease, he noted that constipation was often associated with it. But this was the first study to acknowledge that we might be able to spot early signs of Parkinson's disease by looking at symptoms like constipation, Robert D. Abbott, PhD, a professor at the University of Virginia School of Medicine in Charlottesville, tells WebMD.
Research into the Link Between Parkinson's Disease and Constipation
In a report published in the journal Neurology by the Pacific Research Institute in Honolulu, a long-term study of nearly 7,000 men aged 51-75 living on Oahu found that 96 of the study participants developed Parkinson's disease during a 24-year follow-up period.
As part of the study, participants were given information about the frequency of their bowel movements, allowing researchers to see whether constipation, a common feature of Parkinson's, could be an early sign of the disease.
They found that men who were constipated were at a higher risk of developing Parkinson's disease - 2.7 times more often than men with normal bowel movement frequency and pattern. Specifically, men with constipation were compared with men who, on average, had one or more bowel movements per day. In addition, the risk of developing Parkinson's disease decreased as did the frequency of bowel movements.
Details on the effects of constipation
The results remained the same even when the researchers took into account other factors that can affect Parkinson's disease and digestive system function, including smoking, coffee, laxative use and consumption of fruits, vegetables and grains.
Michael Gershon, MD, professor and chairman of the department of anatomy and cell biology at Columbia University in New York, reports that certain hallmarks of Parkinson's disease have been found in the part of the nervous system that controls bowel function.
- What can the results of the observation suggest... people with constipation should be aware that it can be a manifestation of Parkinson's disease and that it manifests in the stomach before it manifests in the brain.
[ Parkinson's Disease Linked to Gut Condition
The latest study's findings also suggest that Parkinson's disease is not just linked to the brain, but may involve other parts of the body as well, information that could expand doctors' approaches to understanding how the disease develops.
Although constipation itself is not an accurate predictor of Parkinson's disease, it can be a useful indicator when considering the possibility of other risk factors, such as a family history of Parkinson's disease, or the first signs of weak bowel movements, Abbott's disease (a band syndrome that causes limb deformities).