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Canadian doctors are increasingly worried about mysterious brain disorders resembling mad cow disease. To date, 43 cases of this condition have been reported in the province of New Brunswick. Five people died. “We need to find out what it is,” says neurologist Dr. Neil Cashman.
- In the Canadian province of New Brunswick, 43 cases of unknown neurological disease were observed
- According to CBC, the disorders are similar to Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and its variants, including the so-called mad cow disease
- Symptoms include cramps, behavioral changes and pain, teeth chattering, drooling, memory loss, muscle wasting, distressing hallucinations
- You can find more such stories on the TvoiLokony home page
Mysterious brain disorders seen in Canada
According to the Canadian CBC, the disorder is similar to a rare and fatal brain disorder – Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) and its variants, including bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), commonly known as mad cow disease. But while the symptoms are similar to CJD, medical authorities say it is not the same disease.
Health officials in eastern Canada’s New Brunswick province are trying to understand how 43 people contracted the disease and what this unknown neurological disease is.
According to the CBC, the first case diagnosed in this area was in 2015, but the number has grown over the years. In 2020, 24 cases were reported, and so far in 2021 – six. Most of them were detected in the Acadian Peninsula, a sparsely populated region in the northeastern part of the province, and another cluster is near Moncton in the southeast.
Canada. A mysterious neurological disease. Symptoms and possible causes
Patients initially list common symptoms such as cramps, behavioral changes, and pain, the researchers say, and develop cognitive impairment, chattering teeth, drooling, memory loss, muscle wasting and distressing hallucinations within 18 to 36 months.
- Memory loss – main causes. How to train your memory?
Scientists are trying to determine if there could be environmental causes such as water sources, plants, food or air pollution. Researchers engaged experts in neurology, environmental health, zoonotics and epidemiology. Given the specific location of the cases, some have suggested that they may be caused by environmental exposure or toxins.
Leading neuroscientist Dr.Neil Cashman said there was no evidence that it was a prion disease like Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. – There is no evidence, even after three autopsies that have been carried out, for the existence of human prion disease. This, frankly, surprises me. So it’s actually something new and we need to find out what it is, CBC told CBC. He added that due to the cases confined to certain regions, the disease “fits the concept of an environmental toxin”. He called on the residents to continue their normal life activities and to remain calm.
- What are prions and what do they trigger?
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and its variants
Mad cow disease, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), is a deadly neurological disease in cattle caused by an abnormal protein that destroys the brain and spinal cord. It was identified in the UK in 1986, although research suggests that the first infections may have occurred as early as the 70s. The disease is believed to be spread by feeding the calves with BSE contaminated meat and bone meal.
Humans can develop variant Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease (vCJD) if they eat beef products contaminated with central nervous tissue from cattle infected with mad cow disease. VCJD is an incurable disease and has killed at least 177 people, mostly in the UK.
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