WOAH!
Alzheimers can be "caught" from cadaver derived hormones (not currently done, but many impacted from past hormone therapy) AND surgical tools can be a vector because prions causing Alzheimers are not destroyed by current sterilization methods!
@BlueStateBabe Not actually that surprising. If I recall correctly Alzheimer’s bears some similarity to Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease which is transmissible by eating diseased meat.
Yes! Creutzfeldt Jakob Disease is also prion based. And it was discovered that the recipients of these hormones were exposed to CJD so the treatment was discontinued with natural hormones. Only synthetic hormones are now used.
Little did the researchers realize that these kids were also getting Alzheimer prions...with some patients descending into Alzheimers in their 30s!
So very, very sad.
But also, am hopeful that this sets us on a new track for combating this disease.
@BlueStateBabe @Carolyn_haack I am excluded from donating blood in the U.S. because I grew up in UK and have a risk for CJD.
Oh, wow! Better safe than sorry, I suppose. Are you routinely screened for your own sake?
@BlueStateBabe @Carolyn_haack I am not routinely screened because I was told the only reliable test for CJD was to slice open my brain - and I'm still using it ;-)
@bfgreen @Carolyn_haack
Good point!