Parkinson's disease is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder in the elderly worldwide. The occurrence of neuropathological changes characterizes it due to abnormal accumulation of α‒synuclein, as well as necrosis of dopaminergic neurons in the black matter [
186]. In addition to typical symptoms such as tremors and stiffness of the limb bones, sleep disturbances, constipation, and depression, patients also experience gastrointestinal symptoms resulting from abnormal motility and delayed gastric emptying [
186].
H. pylori co-infection synergistically exacerbates gastrointestinal symptoms [
187,
188]. Numerous studies have confirmed the association of SIBO with Parkinson's disease [
186,
187,
188,
189,
190], with as many as 14% to 67% of patients struggling with SIBO depending on the demographic and clinical characteristic of the population included in the study, as well as on the testing method that has been used (i.e., small intestine fluid bacterial count, H
2 glucose breath testing, or H
2 and methane lactulose breath testing, the highest percentages being reported in studies using both glucose and lactulose H
2 and methane breath testing and the lowest in studies using H
2 glucose testing alone) [
191]. Li et al. [
186] demonstrated in a group of 973 participants a strong association between SIBO and PD, with approximately half of PD patients testing positive for SIBO. These relationships significantly differed based on diagnostic tests (glucose hydrogen breath test (GBT), the lactulose hydrogen breath test (LBT)), and geographic area. The prevalence of SIBO was 52% among patients from western countries and 33% among patients from eastern countries. Niu et al. [
187] tested 182 Chinese patients with PD patients and 200 sex, age, and BMI-matched subjects without PD were included. All participants underwent the glucose breath test to assess SIBO. SIBO was highly prevalent in PD, and nearly one-third was detected. SIBO was associated with worse gastrointestinal symptoms and worse motor function. Further studies are needed to specify the reasons underlying SIBO and worse motor function in PD. A similar study [
189] showed that SIBO was detected in a quarter of patients, including those recently diagnosed with the disease. SIBO was not associated with worse gastrointestinal symptoms but independently predicted worse motor function. Appropriately designed clinical trials are needed to confirm a causal relationship between SIBO and poorer motor function in PD. SIBO can trigger a local inflammatory response, disrupting the integrity of the intestinal barrier. Increased intestinal permeability is an increased exposure of the mucosa to bacterial exotoxins, as well as to lipopolysaccharide (LPS), factors responsible for local inflammation, which can increase α-synuclein amyloidogenesis and increase neuronal susceptibility to neurodegeneration. SIBO also affects the absorption of enteral drugs directed to treat PD; gut dysfunction due to microflora abnormalities results in impaired absorption of levodopa, a key drug in the treatment of PD, and consequently reduced dopamine concentrations in the target organ — the brain [
189,
190]. Excessive numbers of bacteria in the gut can induce the production of reactive oxygen species that inactivate the drug and alter its bioavailability. There is a strong association of SIBO with Parkinson's disease, primarily since the neurodegenerative disease involves both the autonomic and enteric nervous systems — the vagus nerve responsible for innervating the stomach, small and large intestine as well as the appendix [
191]. The hallmarks of Parkinson's and SIBO are malnutrition and osteoporosis. During bacterial overgrowth, unconjugated bile acids predominate, bile acid synthesis is inhibited, and bile acid levels are reduced, resulting in decreased lipid absorption and weight loss due to fat loss. In addition, the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins — primarily vitamin D — is reduced, which can exacerbate osteoporosis in Parkinson's disease [
186]. Interestingly, the incidence of SIBO does not depend on the duration of PD — it can occur at an early stage with the same frequency, hence the hypothesis that dysbiosis is not an effect but one of the causes of PD and that improving the gut bacterial status may have a positive effect on the manifestation and progression of PD, but requires further research [
189].