Mystery brain disease found in Canada

 WHAT HAS HAPPENED?

An unknown brain disease has caused panic in the New Brunswick province of Canada after a string of cases were reported that involved memory loss, hallucinations and muscle atrophy.

People living in the province became cognizant of the disease after a memo from the province's public health agency leaked last week, Which asked doctors to look for symptoms relate to Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease (CJD).
CJD is a rare brain disease which is caused due to abnormally folded proteins called prions.

Creutzfeldt-Jakob (KROITS-felt YAH-kobe) disease (CJD) is a degenerative brain disorder that leads to dementia
and, ultimately, death. Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease symptoms can be similar to those of other dementia-like brain disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease.
But Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease usually progresses much more rapidly.
Transmitted by contact with infected tissue, such as during a transplant or from eating contaminated meat.

CAUSES NOT KNOWN FOR CURRENT DISEASE

The province says it's currently tracking 48 cases, evenly split between men and women, in ages ranging from 18 to 85.
Six people are believed to have died from the illness. These cases are of suspected neurological disease in the province with no known cause. Only a single suspected case was recorded in 2015, but in 2019 there were 11 cases and 24 in 2020.

"We are collaborating with different national groups and experts;
however, no elear cause has been identified at this time."
A number of the symptoms including memory loss, vision problems and abnormal jerking movements triggered an alert with Canada's CJD surveillance network. Despite the initial similarities, sereening produced no confirmed
cases of CJD. "We don't have evidence to suggest it's a prion disease."

THE SYMPTOMS CHANGESS

Marrero says patients initially complained of unexplained pains, spasms and behavioural changes - all symptoms that could be easily diagnosed as anxiety or depression. But over 18 to 36 months they began developing cognitive decline, muscle wasting, drooling and teeth chattering. A number of patients also began experiencing frightening hallucinations, including the feeling of insects erawling on their skin.

WHAT NEXT?

Now a team of researchers, including federal scientists, are racing to determine if they are dealing with a previously unknown neurological syndrome, or a series of unrelated, but previously known and even treatable - ailments. A growing team of researchers is working to determine if there is a common link to the cases or any environmental causes, including water sources, plants and insects.

It also exposes the frustrating reality of medicine: diagnosing a patient can be tough and it is a task riddled with unknowns. Neurologists can often deploy a number of tools in treating a patient when the root catuse of an ailment is unclear, "and then the patient somehow recovers. You come away never knowing what they aetually had.

News of the unknown illness has prompted concern but experts have cautioned against drawing premature conclusions.