Prion disease
From the Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia that anyone can change
A prion disease (also called transmissible spongiform encephalopathy) is a disease which is caused by prions. Prions are small proteins which are able to transmit diseases. Unlike viruses and bacteria, prions are not alive. Prion diseases are very rare, and no treatment is available for most of them.
Almost all of the known prion diseases are neurologic diseases. There are two common signs which are seen in typical prion diseases:
- Ataxia or disequilibrium, is when a patient cannot stand or walk well because he cannot maintain his equilibrium. This is usually because of a disease in the cerebellum.
- Dementia or loss of mentality, is a progressive loss of cognitive functions.
[change] Prion diseases
Few types of prion diseases are known. The most important ones are:
- Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease - This disease is transmitted by eating sheep eye, injecting growth hormone and in transplantation of cornea. Patients suffer from ataxia , dementia and usually die after one year.
- Kuru disease - This disease is seen in people living in New Guinea who eat the brains of dead people. Patients present with ataxia, dementia and inability in moving their eyes. They will usually die within two years.
- Gerstmann-Straussler-Scheinker syndrome - This is a very rare syndrome which presents with ataxia and dementia. The patients usually die after one year.
Prion diseases are very rare. With Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, which makes up about 85% of the cases, there are about 1 to 1.5 cases per one million people per year.
[change] See also
Template:Mental problems
