Digestion issues could be warning sign of Parkinson’s disease, research suggests

People with constipation, dysphagia and gastroparesis are more than twice as likely to develop the disease. Photograph: Rasi Bhadramani/Getty Images/iStockphoto

Digestion problems such as constipation or difficulty swallowing can double the chance of Parkinson’s disease, according to research.

The origins of Alzheimer’s disease, strokes and brain aneurysms have been linked to the gastrointestinal tract. While there is evidence that Parkinson’s could also begin in the gut, there have been few studies of its relationship to particular digestive disorders.