Alzheimer's Disease may be contagious: study

Alzheimer's Disease is a neurological disorder that can cause loss of memory and cognitive decline. While it is not contagious like how colds or flu are, a new study reveals that it can be passed down to patients during medical procedures through proteins and seeds left on surgical instruments.

TIME Magazine writes that based on the experiment published in the journal Nature, patients could have gotten amyloid, the Alzheimer's Disease protein, from a medical treatment for Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD), a disorder brought about by a virus-like protein called prions.

CJD can occur by genetic mutations, exposure to foods that are contaminated or accidental exposure to any virus during surgical and other invasive procedures.

Before 1985, children were treated with human growth hormone (HGH) made from hormones collected out of cadavers. These children might have been unprotected from prions, making them at risk of getting CJD. As these prions are known to live up to 30 or 40 years, patients will continue to show symptoms of CJD even after the HGH treatment is over.

The team created their hypothesis by studying the brains of eight individuals, ages 36 to 51, who died of CJD, The Huffington Post UK adds. During the autopsy analysis, the researchers have discovered that seven out of the eight brains have signs of amyloid.

Lead study author, Professor John Collinge from the University College London, shares that in rare circumstances, neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's Disease could have been acquired. He explains that like the CJD prions, amyloid protein can stay on metal surfaces such as surgical instruments and resist sterilization.

However, the team does not want to alarm anyone because the results of the study doesn't confirm that Alzheimer's Disease is highly infectious or can be gotten through human contact, USA Today reports. The researchers believe this study should not cause any alarm or excessive worrying to patients, and they also believe that further studies are needed before they can conclude otherwise.

Professor Dame Sally Davies, Chief Medical Officer, tells The Huffington Post UK that it is only a small study and the government is closely monitoring any development of the research.

In addition to a large research program that is about to take place, Professor Davies reassures the public that there are strict protocols and procedures for keeping all medical equipment sterile and that their top priority is the safety and protection of the patients.