Alzheimer’s can be spread from human to human through rare medical accidents, research suggests.
Despite it sounding alarming, experts stressed there is no evidence the disease can be passed between people through everyday activities or routine care.
According to researchers from a recent study published in the journal Nature Medicine, a handful of people who have received human growth hormones from the pituitary glands of deceased donors have gone on to develop early onset Alzheimer’s.
It is believed that the hormones used were contaminated with proteins that seeded the disease in their brains.
The study, led by John Collinge from the University College London Institute of Prion Diseases, suggests that the symptoms experienced by five adults with early-onset dementia could be linked to the transmission of amyloid beta protein, which is a key component of Alzheimer's disease.
However, it's crucial to note that the study does not imply Alzheimer's disease can spread like infectious diseases such as viruses or bacteria.
The individuals in question had received the growth treatment prepared from cadavers' pituitary glands between 1959 and 1985 due to growth hormone deficiency during childhood.
This treatment was later discontinued after it was found that it was associated with a rare brain disorder called Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.
Researchers speculate that the contamination of HGH with both prions associated with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and amyloid beta seeds might have contributed to the transmission of Alzheimer's disease. Prions are proteins capable of causing neurodegenerative diseases.
While this study suggests a potential link between Alzheimer's transmission and past medical treatments, experts stress that such occurrences are exceptionally rare.
Doctors in the UK emphasised that strict procedures have been implemented to prevent cross-contamination in modern medical practices and reassured the public that there is no cause for concern as the implicated treatment is no longer in use.
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