title: Esophageal manometric abnormalities in Parkinson's disease.
abstract: The gastrointestinal tract, and especially the esophagus, is frequently involved in neurological diseases; however, objective studies of gut motor function are few. We carried out an esophageal manometric study in 18 patients with various stages of Parkinson's disease (4 stage I, 4 stage II, 7 stage III, and 3 stage IV) to evaluate the function of the viscus in this disease. Clinical assessment showed that 61% complained of esophageal symptoms such as dysphagia, acid regurgitation, pyrosis, and noncardiac chest pain. Manometric abnormalities were documented also in 61% patients, and were represented by repetitive contractions, simultaneous contractions, reduced LES pressure, and high-amplitude contractions. However, only 33.3% of patients had both symptoms and manometric abnormalities. We conclude that esophageal motor abnormalities are frequent in Parkinson's disease, and may appear at an early stage of the disease.
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio di Motilità Intestinale, Clinica di Gastroenterologia ed Endoscopia Digestiva, Italy.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bassotti
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Germani
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pagliaricci
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Plesa
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Giulietti
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mannarino
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Morelli
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003680:Deglutition Disorders / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008365:Manometry; D008875:Middle Aged; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000150:complications*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index