To investigate whether Helicobacter pylori (HP) infection affects the clinical response to levodopa and whether its eradication could improve motor fluctuation in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). Using the [(13)C] urea breath test, we monitored HP infection in 65 patients with PD and motor fluctuations of the "wearing-off" or delayed "on" types, with or without dyskinesia. We compared the clinical features and response to L-dopa between HP noninfected (n = 30) and HP infected patients (n = 35) by reviewing home diaries kept for 72 hours. Among HP infected patients, we compared the differences in L-dopa "onset" time, "on-time" duration, and scores on the motor examination section of the Unified PD Rating Scale (UPDRS-III) during the medication "on" phase before and after HP eradication. There were no differences in the age, disease duration, Hoehn and Yahr stage, UPDRS-III score, L-dopa daily dose, and frequency of dyskinesia between HP noninfected and HP infected groups. However, L-dopa "onset" time was longer and "on-time" duration was shorter in HP infected patients than in HP noninfected patients (78.4 +/- 28.2 vs. 56.7 +/- 25.1 and 210.0 +/- 75.7 vs. 257.7 +/- 68.9 min, respectively, P < 0.05). HP eradication improved the delay L-dopa "onset" time and short "on-time" duration (to 58.1 +/- 25.6 and to 234.4 +/- 66.5 min, respectively, P < 0.05). These data demonstrated that HP infection could interfere with the absorption of L-dopa and provoke motor fluctuations. HP eradication can improve the motor fluctuations of HP infected patients with PD.
(c) 2007 Movement Disorder Society.