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| health information | health news

Variant CJD risk for blood recipients

14 December

A total of 66 people received blood transfusions from donors with variant Creutzfeldt Jakob Disease (vCJD) in the late 1990s, according to a study published in The Lancet. Forty-two of the individuals have died, three of whom were infected with vCJD.

The authors of the study warn that more people could be infected.

What is vCJD?

vCJD is a rare fatal disease that causes severe brain damage. Early symptoms include memory and behavioural or psychiatric problems. These symptoms gradually get worse over time leading to dementia, difficulty with movement, and eventually death. The disease generally begins to develop in people in their late twenties although older people also develop it.

There are three other types of CJD.

Iatrogenic (acquired) CJD - this is mainly linked to contaminated human growth hormone injections.
Familial or genetic CJD - this is caused by an inherited abnormal gene and runs in families.
Sporadic CJD - this is the most common type of CJD and is thought to be caused by a spontaneous change in a protein. It doesn't seem to be linked to any defined factor and happens by chance.

How could vCJD transmitted from human to human?

vCJD protein molecules called prions cause the disease. vCJD prions may be transmitted through blood such as in blood transfusion or through contact with contaminated surgical instruments.

How many people have died from vCJD-contaminated blood transfusion?

The total number of people who are either definitely or probably infected with vCJD is 164 to date. Only three of these people are known to be infected with vCJD-contaminated blood transfusions and have died.

What is the risk to the public?

People who received blood transfusions after 1980 are no longer allowed to donate blood so the chance of further possible infections from blood transfusion is lower. Also anyone who has a relative with CJD can't give blood.

The surviving 24 individuals who are known to have received blood transfusions with contaminated blood have been notified as being at-risk of developing vCJD. Estimates for the time it takes for symptoms to appear (incubation period) are around 12 years if vCJD is passed through blood transfusion.

How can individuals with vCJD be identified?

There are tests that can detect vCJD and one of the most reliable is tonsil biopsy. This is when a small amount of tissue is taken from the tonsils at the back of the throat and is tested.

The National Anonymous Tonsil Archive, set up by the Health Protection Agency, has collected around 100,000 anonymous samples over the last three years. The information from this archive will help discover how many people in this group are carrying the vCJD protein. This will then help estimate what proportion of people carry the protein in the general population.

According to John Collinge form the Medical Research Council, "This information is vital for public health planning".

The Health Protection Agency may also introduce a blood test to screen blood donors when this becomes available - tests are currently in development.

Treatment for vCJD

There is currently no cure for vCJD. Experimental therapies are available, which include the drug quinacrine. Quinacrine is known to penetrate the central nervous system. It has been used in the treatment of parasitic infections, autoimmune diseases and lung disorders.