In the mid-1980s, a medical treatment that was discontinued has recently been linked to some extremely rare cases of Alzheimer's disease, according to scientists at University College London. The study focused on five individuals who had received injections of human growth hormone derived from deceased donors during their childhood. It is important to note that Alzheimer's is not considered infectious, and there is no risk of contracting it through regular interactions with affected individuals.
The cases under investigation were connected to the administration of cadaver-derived human growth hormone (c-hGH) between 1959 and 1985. The c-hGH used during this period impacted at least 1,848 individuals in the UK.
The recent findings published in Nature Medicine propose that Alzheimer's-related amyloid protein may be inadvertently transmitted during certain medical procedures, similar to the transmission of CJD. The researchers emphasize the unique circumstances surrounding these cases, with no reported instances of Alzheimer's transmission through other medical or surgical procedures. It is crucial to highlight that there is no ongoing public health risk, as synthetic growth hormone is now used, eliminating the possibility of new transmissions through this route.
Lead author Prof John Collinge clarifies that Alzheimer's is not transmissible in daily activities or routine medical care, stressing that the patients involved had received a specific and discontinued treatment with materials known to be contaminated with disease-related proteins. Dr Richard Oakley from Alzheimer's Society assures the general population that there is no cause for concern regarding their health.
The study, published in Nature Medicine, examines eight individuals treated with c-hGH during childhood, presenting symptoms of dementia or meeting diagnostic criteria for Alzheimer's disease. Notably, these patients exhibited symptoms at an unusually young age, suggesting a form of Alzheimer's not typically associated with old age.
In response to the findings, Prof Bart De Strooper from the UK Dementia Research Institute at UCL urges individuals not to reconsider or forego essential medical procedures, emphasizing their critical role in saving lives worldwide.
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