My father has Parkinson’s.I am wondering
about Pneumonia and Parkinsons disease. I swear
that he developed Parkinson’s or at
least the obvious symptoms of Parkinson’s
after directly having had pneumonia.
Is it possible that having pneumonia
triggered his nervous system to trigger
the Parkinson’s?
Kristen
There are many factors that have been
identified in the research literature
that are believed to cause the symptoms
of Parkinson’s. Pathogens and bacteria
are some of the many factors that have
been suggested as probable causes.
So, the answer is yes. That is a possibility. It is especially
revealing that his symptoms were linked
to his pneumonia.
Your question says first there was pneumonia – then
Parkinsons. That would be the rare case. Moe typically,
the causal sequence is reversed: First Parkinsons, then
pneumonia. The leading cause of death for
for people with Parkinson’s is pneumonia.
Some health care practitioners say
today that pathogens are the leading cause
of many diseases.
Antibiotics cannot eliminate all of the
bacteria or pathogens in the body.
You can be sure that there is a residue of
the pneumonia bacteria that remains lodged
deep in the tissues of your father’s body. We may all
have a little of that nasty bacteria hiding out in our
body too. The body knows how to corral it off from
doing harm.
A 2024 meta analysis published in the European Journal of Neurology examined
studies with data on pneumonia and Parkinsons disease in hospital settings.
The concluded that patients with Parkinsons had greater than three times higher risk of getting pneumonia with an average 2.74% prevalence and 10.0% hospital mortality. Early recognition and treatment of pneumonia in Parkinsons patients
will help reduce morbidity and mortality.
Robert Rodgers, Ph.D.
Founder 2004
Parkinsons Recovery
© Parkinsons Recovery
