Potential impact of Helicobacter pylori-related human β-defensin-1 on hepatic encephalopathy and neurodegeneration.
Year: 2016
Type: article
Abstract: We read with great interest the published paper by J. Kountouras et al in the Annals of Gastroenterology [1]. Th e role of stomach and the rest of the gastrointestinal system in neurological disorders will be further clarifi ed in the years to come. Th eories like the “gut-brain” axis shed light on this relation [2], however, it seems that physicians in the past centuries believed in the role of stomach in neurological disorders. Avicenna (980-1037 AD) (Fig. 1) was a great Persian physician who infl uenced the progress of medical sciences 1000 years ago. His medical encyclopedia, the Canon of Medicine, was one of the main medical textbooks in the western and eastern universities at least until the 17th century AD [3]. Avicenna believed that the stomach interacts with other organs causing various types of disorders including neurological diseases. He stated that, in many cases, neurological symptoms have gastrointestinal origins, meaning that gastrointestinal disorders aff ect the neural system causing symptoms. He wrote in the Canon of Medicine: “stomach [meaning the gastrointestinal tract] is involved in many head disorders”. Moreover, he stated that “gastrointestinal disorders can cause neurological diseases but not vice versa”. Avicenna believed fl atulence aff ects other organs especially neurological disorders. Furthermore, he noted that other organs such as the bladder and the uterus, apart from the gastrointestinal system, could interact with the neural system and cause neurological diseases. He explained a brief diff erential diagnosis for them in his Canon of Medicine [4]. Avicenna’s words have thus proven valid in clinical practice, and his idea on the relationship between the gut and the brain shaped 1000 years ago, now called “gut-brain theory”, merits historical value.
Source: Europe PMC (PubMed Central)
Authors: Jannis Kountouras, Christos Zavos, Stergios A Polyzos, Georgia Deretzi
Language: English
Subfield: Gastroenterology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2764899648