Sensory Aids for Prion Disease Patients

 

Sensory aids are medicines and devices that can be used to help prion disease patients stay comfortable, even though they are experiencing rapidly progressive dementia. These medications can also help prevent brain damage and slow the progression of prion diseases, which can be fatal if not treated early. You can get the facts here. 

 

Prion diseases (also known as scrapie, spongiform encephalopathy and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease) occur when normal prion proteins (PrPC) fold abnormally in the brain or other organs. These diseases can be sporadic, infectious or hereditary. Kuru is an example of a sporadic, infectious form of prion disease.

 

Infectious prion diseases can be spread to humans by inoculation or ingestion of contaminated food, or through genetic mutations. Examples include Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), kuru and fatal insomnia.

 

Kuru is a rare prion disease that causes the body to break down and deteriorate quickly. It can be spread to people by eating a bite of infected meat or drinking milk containing prions. Learn more about extra resources,  go here. 

 

Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disorder and Gerstmann-Straussler-Scheinker syndrome are examples of sporadic prion diseases that can be caused by genetic mutations in the prion protein gene. These disorders are caused when the prion protein is damaged or destroyed by certain chemicals or other conditions, such as radiation, infections, and drugs. Take a  look at this link  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neurology  for more information. 

Symptoms and Signs of Prion Disease

 

Most people with prion diseases develop memory impairment, personality changes, and problems with movement. These symptoms can affect any part of the brain, but most often they occur in the brain's frontal lobe.

 

Some prion diseases may also cause other symptoms, such as facial swelling or paralysis. These symptoms can be difficult to distinguish from other medical conditions, so doctors look for a wide range of tests before they make a diagnosis.

 

The diagnosis of prion diseases can be made by looking at a patient's physical health, symptoms, and testing for the presence of certain proteins in their blood or fluids (such as CSF). A doctor can do this by taking a sample of the person's brain tissue during a biopsy or after death.

 

Tests for prion disease can be done at home by the patient's family or at a hospital, and include tests for proteins such as 14-3-3 and tau, as well as other biological indicators of prion disease. These tests can be performed using a blood or urine sample, and can be tested for DNA.

 

Neurological signs and symptoms of prion diseases are similar to those of other types of dementia. These include difficulty thinking, loss of short-term memory, and difficulty with fine motor skills.

 

A prion disease can also lead to a change in how the nerve cells communicate with each other, causing trouble with learning or talking. This can be a problem in children and teenagers, but it is especially dangerous for people over 60 years old because they have fewer healthy nerve cells.

 

Many prion diseases are hereditary and can be passed from one family member to another. Hereditary prion diseases are rare and are usually diagnosed before the age of 35, but they can still happen later in life.