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Infection with the gastric ulcer-causing bacterium Helicobacter pylori delays the onset of symptomatic benefit from a dose of levodopa, and shortens "on" time, according to this study, and both effects can be mitigated with antibiotic treatment. These results confirm and extend previous findings on the effect of H. pylori on levodopa adsorption ( http://www.mdvu.org/emove/article.asp?ID=892 ) Infection status of patients was determined with the [13C] urea breath test, a non-invasive diagnostic test. Thirty-five infected and 30 non-infected patients were evaluated for time to "on" and duration of "on" via 72-hour home diary prior to the screening test. There were no significant differences between groups in disease duration, UPDRS motor "on" score, daily levodopa dose, or prevalence of peak-dose dyskinesia. Delay to "on" and duration of "on" did differ: Delay to "on" Duration of "on" Infected 78 min 210 min Non-infected 56 min 257 min Antibiotics successfully eradicated H. pylori in 34 of 35 patients. Eradication did not significantly chance motor "on" scores or dyskinesias. It did improve both delay to "on" and duration of "on": Delay to "on" Duration of "on" Pre-treatment 78 min 210 min Post-treatment 58 min 234 min "These data suggest that HP infection may alter L-dopa absorption and lead to motor fluctuations in PD patients," the authors conclude. They note that the [13C] urea breath test has high sensitivity and specificity, and has become the most convenient way of detecting an active HP infection. Overall seropositivity for H. pylori in the elderly has been estimated at over 50%, and is often asymptomatic. Helicobacter pylori infection and motor fluctuations in patients with Parkinson's disease WY Lee, WT Yoon, HY Shin, SH Jeon, PL Rhee Movement Disorders 2008; epub ahead of print; doi: 10.1002/mds.22190 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn