Transmissible Alzheimer's? Investigation underway amid faulty medical treatment fallout
- Replies 7
In a shocking revelation, a recent UK study has suggested that Alzheimer's disease, a debilitating condition that robs people of their memory, may be transmissible between humans.
This alarming discovery has prompted an urgent investigation by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the United States, as nearly 8,000 Americans received a hormone treatment that could potentially transmit this memory-robbing condition.
The hormone treatment in question was administered to thousands of children with short stature between the 1960s and 1980s.
The growth hormones harvested from the bodies of deceased individuals were found to be contaminated with toxic amyloid-beta protein 'seeds', or prions, which have been linked to early-onset dementia and Alzheimer's disease.
A spokesperson for the NIH said, ‘Given this new information, the committee will convene to discuss the issue and re-analyze data for any possible associations with Alzheimer's or dementia-related conditions.'
It is understood that the meeting will occur in early February among the Public Health Service Interagency Coordinating Committee on Human Growth Hormone and Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease.
This comes in the wake of the UK study, which found evidence of at least five people who developed the memory-robbing disorder after receiving the now-banned hormone treatment.
A committee was formed to re-examine data and determine if there were indications that individuals who had received growth hormone injections developed Alzheimer's disease.
Previous meeting minutes reveal that the committee had suspicions that at least one person in the United States, who had received the injection during childhood, died from Alzheimer's in their 60s.
If a link is found, it could potentially open the door for lawsuits.
In the UK, the government has previously agreed to pay up to AUD $578,900 to people who suffered mental illnesses due to the shots.
The hormone injections, which were administered to abnormally short children as young as four between 1959 and 1985, contained human growth hormone (HGH) harvested from the pituitary glands of cadavers.
This was intended to stimulate growth in these children.
However, the technique was banned after it was discovered that some batches were contaminated with prions, which led to a fatal and incurable brain disorder closely related to the 'mad cow' disease called Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD).
In Australia, between 1967 and 1985, over 2,100 people in Australia were part of the Australian Human Pituitary Hormones Program (AHPHP) and received cadaver-derived pituitary hormones to treat infertility and short stature between 1967 and 1985.
The concern now is that other medical and surgical procedures might also carry a risk of spreading Alzheimer's, as prions can survive hospital sterilisation methods.
Prions accumulate in the brain and kill neurons, leading to the formation of plaque deposits. These abnormal build-ups of proteins in and around neurons are thought to cause Alzheimer's.
However, it's important to note that Alzheimer's cannot spread from human to human in the traditional sense.
‘This is not transmissible in the sense of a viral or bacterial infection,’ said Dr John Collinge, Co-Senior Study Author and a Professor of Neurology at University College London.
'You can't catch Alzheimer's disease by living with somebody with Alzheimer's, being a carer or a healthcare worker.’
In the UK, out of the 1,800 people who received the hormone injections up to 1985, at least 80 developed CJD, while at least five suffered from early-onset Alzheimer's.
In the US, there have been 35 cases of CJD detected out of the 7,700 patients who received the faulty injections.
In Australia, five people have been known to have died of CJD as a result of the contaminated hormones.
The hormone injections were administered for research purposes by the National Hormone and Pituitary Program (NHPP), funded by the Department of Health and Human Services.
The use of the hormone was discontinued in 1985 when scientists detected three cases of CJD among young men who had received the injections and suspected a link.
People currently receiving human growth hormone are not at risk of these complications because the hormone is now produced by genetically altered bacteria in a lab, eliminating the risk of contamination with dangerous proteins.
‘No data from the [US cohort] have suggested an association between cadaveric human growth hormone and Alzheimer's,’ the NIH spokesperson said.
Previously, Alzheimer's was thought to manifest in two forms: a prevalent 'sporadic' variant affecting a large number of individuals aged 65 and older and a hereditary early-onset type prevalent in families.
However, researchers at the University College London (UCL) in the UK, conducting a British study, have identified a third variant. This variant, distinct from the others and exceptionally rare, can be transmitted from one person to another.
The UCL scientists were granted permission to analyse batches of a growth hormone stored for decades as a dried powder.
When they tested this aged powder on mice, they observed that it triggered the production of proteins associated with the development of Alzheimer's disease.
While the battle against Alzheimer’s has been long, a previous study shed light on a surprising yet accessible method to reduce the risk of death.
The findings, published in a recent report, suggested that engaging in 20 to 190 minutes of vigorous physical activity (VPA) weekly could significantly reduce the risk of death from Alzheimer’s.
Another study reported that Viagra may also play a huge role in reducing the risk of Alzheimer’s by 60 per cent.
Viagra works by chemically blocking an enzyme located in the brain and also helps improve blood supply.
What are your thoughts on this recent study? Let us know in the comments below.
This alarming discovery has prompted an urgent investigation by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in the United States, as nearly 8,000 Americans received a hormone treatment that could potentially transmit this memory-robbing condition.
The hormone treatment in question was administered to thousands of children with short stature between the 1960s and 1980s.
The growth hormones harvested from the bodies of deceased individuals were found to be contaminated with toxic amyloid-beta protein 'seeds', or prions, which have been linked to early-onset dementia and Alzheimer's disease.
A new study reported that thousands who received a hormone treatment may potentially transmit Alzheimer’s. Credit: Freepik
A spokesperson for the NIH said, ‘Given this new information, the committee will convene to discuss the issue and re-analyze data for any possible associations with Alzheimer's or dementia-related conditions.'
It is understood that the meeting will occur in early February among the Public Health Service Interagency Coordinating Committee on Human Growth Hormone and Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease.
This comes in the wake of the UK study, which found evidence of at least five people who developed the memory-robbing disorder after receiving the now-banned hormone treatment.
A committee was formed to re-examine data and determine if there were indications that individuals who had received growth hormone injections developed Alzheimer's disease.
Previous meeting minutes reveal that the committee had suspicions that at least one person in the United States, who had received the injection during childhood, died from Alzheimer's in their 60s.
If a link is found, it could potentially open the door for lawsuits.
In the UK, the government has previously agreed to pay up to AUD $578,900 to people who suffered mental illnesses due to the shots.
The hormone injections, which were administered to abnormally short children as young as four between 1959 and 1985, contained human growth hormone (HGH) harvested from the pituitary glands of cadavers.
This was intended to stimulate growth in these children.
However, the technique was banned after it was discovered that some batches were contaminated with prions, which led to a fatal and incurable brain disorder closely related to the 'mad cow' disease called Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD).
In Australia, between 1967 and 1985, over 2,100 people in Australia were part of the Australian Human Pituitary Hormones Program (AHPHP) and received cadaver-derived pituitary hormones to treat infertility and short stature between 1967 and 1985.
The concern now is that other medical and surgical procedures might also carry a risk of spreading Alzheimer's, as prions can survive hospital sterilisation methods.
Prions accumulate in the brain and kill neurons, leading to the formation of plaque deposits. These abnormal build-ups of proteins in and around neurons are thought to cause Alzheimer's.
However, it's important to note that Alzheimer's cannot spread from human to human in the traditional sense.
‘This is not transmissible in the sense of a viral or bacterial infection,’ said Dr John Collinge, Co-Senior Study Author and a Professor of Neurology at University College London.
'You can't catch Alzheimer's disease by living with somebody with Alzheimer's, being a carer or a healthcare worker.’
In the UK, out of the 1,800 people who received the hormone injections up to 1985, at least 80 developed CJD, while at least five suffered from early-onset Alzheimer's.
In the US, there have been 35 cases of CJD detected out of the 7,700 patients who received the faulty injections.
In Australia, five people have been known to have died of CJD as a result of the contaminated hormones.
The hormone injections were administered for research purposes by the National Hormone and Pituitary Program (NHPP), funded by the Department of Health and Human Services.
The use of the hormone was discontinued in 1985 when scientists detected three cases of CJD among young men who had received the injections and suspected a link.
People currently receiving human growth hormone are not at risk of these complications because the hormone is now produced by genetically altered bacteria in a lab, eliminating the risk of contamination with dangerous proteins.
‘No data from the [US cohort] have suggested an association between cadaveric human growth hormone and Alzheimer's,’ the NIH spokesperson said.
Previously, Alzheimer's was thought to manifest in two forms: a prevalent 'sporadic' variant affecting a large number of individuals aged 65 and older and a hereditary early-onset type prevalent in families.
However, researchers at the University College London (UCL) in the UK, conducting a British study, have identified a third variant. This variant, distinct from the others and exceptionally rare, can be transmitted from one person to another.
The UCL scientists were granted permission to analyse batches of a growth hormone stored for decades as a dried powder.
When they tested this aged powder on mice, they observed that it triggered the production of proteins associated with the development of Alzheimer's disease.
While the battle against Alzheimer’s has been long, a previous study shed light on a surprising yet accessible method to reduce the risk of death.
The findings, published in a recent report, suggested that engaging in 20 to 190 minutes of vigorous physical activity (VPA) weekly could significantly reduce the risk of death from Alzheimer’s.
Another study reported that Viagra may also play a huge role in reducing the risk of Alzheimer’s by 60 per cent.
Viagra works by chemically blocking an enzyme located in the brain and also helps improve blood supply.
Last edited:
.png){kind=icon}
