Disadvantages of antibiotics: Findings published in the journal Neurology Clinical Practice showed that people who take antibiotics for more than 121 days have a 29 percent higher risk of Parkinson’s disease compared to those who do not use antibiotics.
Study on use of antibiotics: A study has found that long-term use of antibiotics may increase the risk of Parkinson’s disease. To validate these findings in Asians, researchers from Seoul National University Hospital, South Korea, examined 298,379 people aged 40 years and above who had undergone a national health examination in 2004-2005.
In addition, those who took antibiotics for more than 121 days had a 37 percent higher risk of Parkinson’s disease compared to those who used antibiotics for 1 to 14 days.
Long-term use of antibiotics was associated with more cases of Parkinson’s disease, the researchers said, adding that more research is needed to confirm the cause and mechanism.
What is Parkinson’s disease?
Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurological disorder that affects a person’s movement, causing tremors, stiffness and problems with balance. In a post on social media platform X, Dr Sudhir Kumar of Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, Hyderabad, pointed to the role of the gut as a possible reason behind the link between antibiotics and Parkinson’s disease.
“Antibiotic use can alter the gut microbiota, and this change can persist for many years. Antibiotics can affect the gut-brain axis,” Kumar said. He also said that antibiotics can have neurotoxic effects on the brain.
Neurologists suggested that long-term exposure to antibiotics should be used cautiously given the potential harm they can cause.
A recent study published in the journal Parkinsonism and Related Disorders found that taking two or more courses of antifungal drugs increased the risk of Parkinson’s disease by 16 per cent. On the other hand, those who received five or more courses of penicillin antibiotics had a reduced risk of developing the disease by about 15 per cent.
