2024-01-02 18:36:24
People who receive blood transfusions may become infected with a pathogen that increases their risk of stroke or even Alzheimer’s disease. (Shutterstock)
For decades, anxiety was thought to be the leading cause of stomach ulcers. But in 1982, doctors made a breakthrough discovery: a specific type of bacteria was confirmed to be responsible for stomach ulcers. Similarly, scientists are currently looking for evidence that blood transfusions may cause strokes, and research suggests that a common cause of strokes may be blood-borne.
Common cause of stroke may be blood-borne
Blood recipients who had multiple spontaneous brain bleeds after donating blood had a higher chance of suffering a hemorrhagic stroke, a new study shows. This means that certain factors in the blood may be involved in the damage to the blood vessels in the brain that leads to stroke.
Beta-amyloid deposits in the walls of cerebral blood vessels lead to cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA), a spontaneous hemorrhagic strokeThe second biggest reason. This protein deposit can make blood vessels fragile and prone to rupture, which can lead to strokes and cognitive impairment.
A recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical AssociationResearchIt has been shown that CAA has “prion-like” infectivity. Prion disease, a disease related to bovine spongiform encephalopathy, also known as mad cow disease, affects the brains of cattle and can infect humans by eating infected meat.The study also found that the disease can be detected through pituitary hormones collected from cadavers contaminated with amyloid beta and tau proteins.spread to humans。
Scientists speculate that the risk of stroke from blood transfusions may be as high as eating contaminated meat.
To test this hypothesis, the researchers conducted a clinical study of more than 1 million patients aged 5 to 80 using national blood bank and health data from Sweden and Denmark. The patients all received red blood cells between January 1, 1970 (Sweden) or January 1, 1980 (Denmark), and December 31, 2017.
The findings showed that patients who received blood from donors who had multiple spontaneous cerebral hemorrhages had a significantly increased risk of hemorrhagic stroke compared with patients who received blood from donors who had no spontaneous cerebral hemorrhages.
However, no increased risk of stroke was found in patients who received blood from a donor who had only one spontaneous brain hemorrhage.
The authors believe these findings suggest that “blood-borne factors” may be involved in some spontaneous strokes. They “newly found” that recipients of blood from multiple donors had a 2.3% increased risk of stroke.
Similar links to Alzheimer’s disease
Recipients of blood from donors who had suffered a stroke after donating blood had a similar increased risk of dementia, the study found.
Dr. Steven Greenberg, professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School, wrote in a commentary on the research paper that the study rigorously confirmed these findings.
“Certain problems in blood donors that may put recipients at a slightly increased risk of future brain hemorrhage or dementia pose a serious threat to public health even if these problems are currently undetectable,” he wrote.
This highlights the importance of timely detection and identification of these potential infectious agents becauseevery two secondsEvery time an American needs blood, the health of millions is affected.
How to treat cerebral hemorrhage
Dr. Theodore Strange, medical director of Staten Island University Hospital, told The Epoch Times that treatment depends on the cause and location of the bleeding.
He said that subdural hematoma caused by a fall can be treated without surgery or with a minor operation, which is to drill a small hole in the skull and use a rubber tube to drain the hematoma.
Bleeding caused by a stroke or a ruptured aneurysm is difficult to control, but it is possible to treat it if you seek medical attention promptly.
Cerebellar hemorrhage, which is bleeding in the back of the brain, usually requires surgery to remove the blood clot and then find out the cause, he said. He said bleeding outside the brain is easier to treat than bleeding inside the brain.
Managing risk factors is the only hope for CAA patients
Dr. Strange said patients with CAA have irreversible amyloid buildup in their brain blood vessels that currently has no treatment to eliminate. Therefore, to avoid bleeding, it is necessary to control risk factors.
He said falls were the most common risk factor, leading to concussions and bleeding, so try to prevent them.
He said: “As you age, the chance of falling also increases.” He said that you should also pay attention to reducing the use of anticoagulants, aspirin, ibuprofen and other drugs that may increase the risk of bleeding. “It depends on the individual’s physical condition. “
Doctors need to consider the impact of anticoagulants on other conditions and balance their risks and benefits, he said.
For the English report, please see the English version of The Epoch Times:Stroke Could Be Transmissible, Study Finds。
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