世界首現阿爾茨海默病人際傳播證據

The first evidence has emerged that clinical features of Alzheimer’s disease, the most common cause of dementia, can be transmitted between people.

世界上首次出現了阿爾茨海默病(Alzheimer's disease)臨牀特徵可在人際間傳播的證據。阿爾茨海默病是癡呆症(Dementia)最常見的病因。

John Collinge and colleagues at University College London found signs of developing Alzheimer’s pathology in the brains of people who died of Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease (CJD), acquired through contaminated growth hormone.

約翰科林奇(John Collinge)和他在倫敦大學學院(University College London)的同事們，在克雅二氏病(CJD)死者的大腦中發現了發展中的阿爾茨海默病病狀跡象。克雅二氏病可通過受感染的生長激素患上。

Although the circumstances of the transmission are exceptional, the study of eight CJD patients, reported on Wednesday in the journal Nature and at the British Science Festival in Bradford, raises concerns that Alzheimer’s may be transmissible through some medical or surgical procedures.

儘管人際傳播的情況很特殊，但這項對8名克雅二氏病患者展開的研究得出的結果，還是讓人擔心阿爾茨海默病或許能夠通過一些內科或外科處置得到傳播。週三，《自然》(Nature)期刊和布拉德福德的英國科學節(British Science Festival)都發布了這一研究結果。

“I don’t think there is any cause for alarm,” said Prof Collinge. “Evaluating what risk, if any, there might be requires much further research.”

“我不認爲有任何理由感到恐慌，”科林奇教授說，“要評估這裏面可能存在何種風險——假設風險真的存在的話——需要進行深入得多的研究。”

In response to journalists’ questions about dental procedures, Prof Collinge said: “There are potential risks with dentistry where it is impacting on nervous tissue, for example root canal treatments.” But in a statement issued later he said: “Our current data have no bearing on dental surgery.”

在回答記者們提出的有關牙科處置的問題時，科林奇教授表示：“牙科處置存在潛在的風險，因爲它會觸碰到神經組織，比如根管治療。”但他在後來發布的聲明中稱：“我們當前的數據還牽涉不到牙科手術。”

He added: “You cannot catch Alzheimer’s by living with or caring for someone with the disease.”

他補充道：“你與阿爾茨海默病患者一起生活或照顧他們，是不會被傳染上那種病的。”