A dopamine transporter scan — an exam that visualizes dopaminergic neurons, the nerve cells that are affected in Parkinson’s disease — may help in predicting which patients are at risk of aspiration, when food or liquid enters the lungs instead of the stomach. Dysphagia, which happens when Parkinson’s…

Major problems with sensation in the airways — essential in preventing the dysphagia or swallowing difficulties that can lead to complications like aspiration pneumonia — were not observed between Parkinson’s disease patients and healthy adults in a small recent study. But given the proposed relationship between airway sensory impairments…

An approach for treating dysphagia — called effortful swallow maneuver — did not consistently ease signs of swallowing difficulties for Parkinson’s disease patients in a small pilot study. Effortful swallow, or ES, refers to a practice where patients are asked to consciously increase the force they use when swallowing…

Dysphagia, or swallowing difficulties, is associated with a higher risk of death among people with advanced Parkinson’s disease who are treated with Duodopa/Duopa, a levodopa/carbidopa intestinal gel (LCIG), a study shows. Notably, “dysphagia was the only significant predictor of death in our cohort [group], confirming and highlighting the…

Difficulty in swallowing medications, either tablets or capsules, was common among people with Parkinson’s disease, a study reports. This impairment in swallowing, called dysphagia, also predicted worse motor complications, and data suggest capsules tended to be easier to swallow than tablets. Evidence of swallowing difficulties for food is a…

Swallowing difficulties in people with Parkinson’s disease are associated with the dysfunction of nerves that supply the heart muscle as part of the autonomic, or involuntary, nervous system, a study revealed. The noninvasive method to measure this dysfunction, called cardiac MIBG scintigraphy, could help identify Parkinson’s patients who may…

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) may not put people with advanced Parkinson’s disease at a greater risk of excessive drooling, a common non-motor symptom also known as sialorrhea, according to a yearslong study of patients by researchers in Italy. Male sex, difficulty swallowing (dysphagia), and more severe disease, however, were…

A heightened fear of falling — common for Parkinson’s patients due to balance and walking problems — is significantly associated with greater swallowing difficulties among these people, a small study shows. Notably, this association was observed even when adjusting for potential influencing factors such as disease duration, suggesting these symptoms…

Among people with Parkinson’s disease, those with low blood levels of uric acid — a natural antioxidant — tend to have more severe non-motor symptoms like anxiety, depression, and cognitive dysfunction, a study indicates. It also showed a link between uric acid levels and gray matter volume in the…

Swallowing difficulties seem to be associated with progression of Parkinson’s disease, a study has found. Researchers found that high doses of levodopa can increase xerostomia — or dry mouth — and negatively affect the oral environment. Moreover, people with Parkinson’s seem to be unaware of their swallowing difficulties, which could lead to…