Women with Parkinson’s disease may have worse gastrointestinal symptoms than men

Gastrointestinal dysfunction may differ between men and women with Parkinson’s disease (PD), according to a study.

In this study, sex differences in the gastrointestinal symptoms of 144 patients with PD were analyzed. Of the participants, 66 were female, and there were no differences between sexes in age, PD duration, Hoehn and Yahr stage, and daily dopaminergic medication dosages. In females, Nepean Dyspepsia Index-Korean Version symptoms and dyspepsia scores were correlated with daily living activity.

Compared to men, women were found to have:
-Worse gastrointestinal symptoms than men
-More frequent complaints of early fullness
-More bloating in the upper abdomen after meals
-Burning pain in upper abdomen

Reference
Chang HJ, Shin CM, Cho JW, et al. Sex differences in gastrointestinal dysfunction among patients with Parkinson’s disease. Neurol Sci. 2023;doi: 10.1007/s10072-023-06710-2. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 36854933.