New form of brain-wasting disease identified
14.07.2008 12:00
Health
- Source: cbc.ca
Researchers in the U.S. have identified the emergence of a new type of brain-wasting disease that resembles Creutzfeld-Jakob, the human form of mad cow disease. Similarly to Creutzfeld-Jakob disease (CJD), the human variant of bovine spongiform encephalopathy, the new disease causes the brains of sufferers to fill with tiny holes, robbing them of the ability to think, speak and move. The disease has not been given a name. In the U.S., it has been found in 16 people since 2002, 10 of whom have died of it. Cases of the disease were first described in the Annals of Neurology in 2006 and are discussed in an article in the June 20 issue of the journal and in a July 9 article in New Scientist. "I believe the disease has been around for many years, unnoticed," Pierluigi Gambetti, director of the U.S. National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, said in a news release Wednesday. It's believed that excessive amounts of prions, misfolded forms of a brain protein, lead to breakdown of brain tissue in both types of brain-wasting diseases. In the case of CJD, prions are not broken down by enzymes, but in the new disease, they are. Researchers aren't sure what causes the disease. "I believe the disease occurs naturally, and is not due to environmental causes," says Gambetti. He plans to further study possible causes using lab mice. It's not clear what causes classic CJD. Humans can contract a variant of CJD, called acquired CJD, by consuming brain material of an animal with mad cow disease or through exposure to medical instruments that have been improperly sterilized. About 30 cases of classic CJD turn up in Canada per year. Story Tools: E-MAIL | PRINT | Text Size: SMLXL | REPORT TYPO | SEND YOUR FEEDBACKRelatedInternal LinksIN DEPTH: Mad CowNew research into mad cow-linked prions reveals silver liningHealth HeadlinesPioneering heart doctor Michael DeBakey dead at 99Dr. Michael DeBakey, the world-famous cardiovascular surgeon who pioneered such now-common procedures as bypass surgery and invented a host of devices to help heart patients, has died.Pathologists press for national testing standards The Canadian Association of Pathologists says a national protocol is urgently needed to improve testing for diseases, especially breast cancer.Cellphone use potentially risky for kids, teens: health agencyA Toronto health agency is advising teenagers and young children to limit their use of cellphones to avoid potential health risks.Alzheimer's patients have rapid enlargement of brain ventricles: studyBrain ventricles that increase in size could be a sign of cognitive problems and the onset of Alzheimer's disease, say Canadian researchers. Kidney cancer drug interaction could cause anemia: Health CanadaHealth Canada is warning doctors and cancer patients about the use of Avastin (Bevacizumab) in combination with another drug, Sutent (sunitinib malate), to treat kidney cancer. Health FeaturesBlogSherraine SchalmI am fencer, hear me roar!IN DEPTHRed, red wineHealth pros and consHEALTHLife spanLongevity secrets from around the worldVIEWPOINT/ANALYSISScience FrictionStephen Strauss on vitamin D and diabetesHEALTH & FITNESSPeter HadzipetrosBreaking up's not that hard to doPeople who read this also read …
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