Saliva gland test can spot early Parkinson’s disease

Researchers from Mayo Clinic in Arizona and Banner Sun Health Research Institute have determined that a saliva gland test may be a way to diagnose early Parkinson’s disease. The study was published this month in Movement Disorders, the official journal of the International Parkinson and Movement Disorders Society.

Currently, there is no accurate diagnostic test for Parkinson’s disease. The researchers believe that a procedure termed transcutaneous submandibular gland biopsy may provide the needed accuracy. The test involves inserting a needle into the submandibular gland (a gland that makes saliva) under the jaw and withdrawing the needle to obtain the core of gland tissue within. The researchers looked for a protein in the cells from patients who have early Parkinson’s disease and compared this to subjects without the disease.

“This is the first study demonstrating the value of testing a portion of the submandibular gland to diagnose a living person with early Parkinson’s disease. Making a better diagnosis in living patients is a big step forward in our effort to understand and better treat patients,” says study author Charles Adler, M.D., Ph.D., neurologist, professor of neurology at Mayo Clinic in Arizona.

The abnormal Parkinson’s protein was detected in 14 of the 19 patients who had enough tissue to study, providing positive results that need further studies. The research team previously had shown that the biopsy could detect the protein in 9 of 12 patients with advanced disease.

“This study provides the first direct evidence for the use of submandibular gland biopsies as a diagnostic test for living patients with early Parkinson’s disease,” says Dr. Adler. “This finding, in patients with early Parkinson’s disease, may be of great use since accuracy of diagnosis in patients with early disease is not nearly as good as in those having the disease for more than 10 years.”

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