In a groundbreaking study conducted by scientists at University College London (UCL), evidence suggests that Alzheimer’s disease may have been transmitted to living individuals through hormones extracted from deceased individuals. This finding, marking the first connection of its kind, has raised significant concerns about the potential transmission of the disease.
According to the study, five individuals are believed to have developed Alzheimer’s after receiving a human growth hormone that unintentionally contained components linked to dementia. The contaminated hormone had been administered between 1959 and 1995 to address short stature in over 1,800 children in the UK. It was later withdrawn when it was found to be associated with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD).
Professor John Collinge, the lead author of the research and director of the UCL Institute of Prion Diseases, clarified that Alzheimer’s cannot be casually transmitted. The affected patients received a specific treatment involving injected material contaminated with disease-related proteins, which is no longer in use.
The study revealed that the same hormone batch responsible for CJD cases also appeared to trigger Alzheimer’s in some patients. The symptoms of the disease began to manifest as early as 38 years old. It should be noted that these cases resulted from a unique medical treatment.
The breakthrough came when the brains of eight individuals who had received the human growth hormone and died of CJD were studied. Surprisingly, four of them exhibited elevated levels of amyloid beta protein, a sticky deposit known to be implicated in Alzheimer’s.
Further investigations confirmed the presence of misfolded amyloid-beta proteins in the original growth hormone, which had been stored by the Department of Health. Injecting the banned hormone into mice resulted in signs of neurodegenerative disease.
Dr. Gargi Banerjee, the first author of the study, explained that repeated treatments with the contaminated material over several years contributed to the development of Alzheimer’s in these patients.
The study’s findings raise concerns about the potential transmission of amyloid-beta pathology and call for a review of preventive measures against accidental transmission in medical or surgical procedures.
Dr. Susan Kohlhaas, executive director of research and partnerships at Alzheimer’s Research UK, commended the study’s insights into disease mechanisms, stating that they offer potential avenues for future treatments.
While no cases of Alzheimer’s transmission from other medical procedures have been reported, experts recommend reviewing measures and implementing enhanced decontamination methods for surgical equipment.
The research, published in the journal Nature Medicine, sheds light on the complexities of Alzheimer’s progression and may contribute to a better understanding of the causes of the disease.
As scientists continue to study the link between Alzheimer’s and the transmission of disease-related proteins, it is critical to prioritize patient safety and ensure that preventive measures are in place to mitigate the accidental transmission of the disease.
