Medical Procedures Could Transmit Alzheimer’s Disease, Study Suggests
Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia, has long been a mysterious condition with unknown causes. However, a recent study has suggested that the disease could be transmitted through certain medical procedures. The results of studies on preclinical models have shown that Alzheimer’s may be a consequence of bone marrow stem cell transplants.
Researchers observed that stem cells from engineered mice, carrying a genetic mutation associated with Alzheimer’s, could cause rapid development of cognitive decline and pathological features of the disease when transplanted into healthy mice. These findings were published in the journal Stem Cell Reports.
The risk of iatrogenic diseases, those that arise as a result of medical procedures, is rare but has become a growing concern, especially with conditions like Alzheimer’s where the causes are not fully understood. The genetic anomalies associated with Alzheimer’s, particularly related to a protein called amyloid beta precursor, could potentially be transmitted through certain medical procedures.
The study highlights the importance of considering the potential transmission of Alzheimer’s through medical procedures and the need for genomic sequencing of donor samples before tissue, organ, or stem cell transplants. This research sheds new light on the possibility of iatrogenic transmission of Alzheimer’s and calls for further precautions in medical procedures to mitigate this risk.