Alzheimer's 'seeds' found in seven CJD victims' brains

Conclusion This small study raises questions about how a group of relatively young people with CJD came to have amyloid protein deposits in their brains when they died. But it doesn't answer those questions. The theory that amyloid proteins were transferred, along with prions, through growth hormone therapy is still just that: a theory. There are other possibilities – for example, the prions could have somehow encouraged the growth of amyloid protein. That would mean people who are already infected with prions are at an increased risk of early-onset Alzheimer's disease. However, it's also important to remember no-one in the study actually developed Alzheimer's. They may have done so had they lived longer, but we don't know. As the cause of Alzheimer's remains unknown, it is also feasible that another process or risk factor could have accounted for the results seen. Other studies that looked at people who received human growth hormone treatment found they were not at any increased risk of getting Alzheimer's disease. But that study only looked at death certificates, not autopsy results. We don't know if these people had amyloid protein deposits in their brains. The implications if amyloid protein could be passed on through blood products and surgery are that many more people may be at risk of Alzheimer's than previously thought. Yet there is no evidence from this study to suggest this is the case. Previous studies looking at people who have had blood transfusions have not ...
Source: NHS News Feed - Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Neurology Source Type: news