Cause of eight N.B. 'mystery' brain disease deaths identified by pathologist
A neuropathologist who examined the deaths of eight people in New Brunswick initially described as having a mysterious neurological disease says the deaths were actually due to known diseases.
A summary of the study led by Dr. Gerard Jansen of the University of Ottawa, posted this month on the Canadian Association of Neuropathologists website, says the original cases were "misclassified clinical diagnoses."
In March, New Brunswick health officials alerted the province's doctors, nurses and pharmacists about a cluster of residents with an unknown and potentially new neurological syndrome with symptoms similar to those of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.
Jansen's study indicates that those who died had diseases that included known neurodegenerative diseases and cancers.
He identified health issues that included Alzheimer's disease, metastatic cancer, frontotemporal degeneration, Lewy body disease and vascular disease.
The abstract notes the cluster had been reported at around 50 cases, and eight people in that group have died since 2019. The Canadian Association of Neuropathologists declined a request to provide access to the full report.
Jansen and his co-authors say in the abstract they hope the findings are useful to a provincial committee set up this June to review the clinical and epidemiological data of the patients in the cluster.
Jansen has been involved in clinical surveillance of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, one of a group of rare progressive neurodegenerative disorders known as prion diseases, for over 30 years.
"During that time he has seen all types of prion diseases passing by ... but also many look-alike neurological diseases," says the abstract.
Steve Ellis, whose father had been identified as having the mysterious neurological disease, said news of Jansen's findings came out of the blue.
"For the last two-and-a-half years my father has been told what he doesn't have by two neurologists who are on the oversight committee in New Brunswick. If he has something that is a known disease, why hasn't he been diagnosed yet?" Ellis asked in an interview Tuesday evening.
"There are too many questions coming from this very vague report, which the government of New Brunswick didn't tell us was coming," he said. "It doesn't answer the questions of those who are still living and why they're sick and why they don't have a diagnosis."
Ellis's father, Roger Ellis, who is being cared for at a seniors home in Bathurst, turned 64 on Tuesday.
Ellis said he had spoken earlier in the day with family members of other patients suspected of having the mysterious neurological disease, and they were very upset.
The New Brunswick government launched a website in April to update the public on what it called a "neurological syndrome of unknown cause." Health officials have a news conference scheduled Wednesday to discuss the status of their investigation.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 26, 2021.
-- With files from Michael Tutton in Halifax
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Expert warns of food consumption habits amid rising prices
A new survey by Dalhousie University's Agri-Food Analytics Lab asked Canadians about their food consumption habits amid rising prices.
Documents reveal Ottawa's efforts to get Loblaw, Walmart on board with grocery code
It was evident to the federal government as early as last fall that Loblaw and Walmart might be holdouts to the grocery code of conduct, jeopardizing the project's success.
opinion The special relationship between King Charles and the Princess of Wales
Royal commentator Afua Hagan writes that when King Charles recently admitted Catherine to the Order of the Companions of Honour, it not only made history, but it reinforced the strong bond between the King and his beloved daughter-in-law.
Charlie Woods, son of Tiger, shoots 81 in U.S. Open qualifier
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.
Improve balance and build core strength with this exercise
When it comes to cardiovascular fitness, you may tend to focus on activities that move you forward, such as walking, running and cycling.
'I just want to be safe': Ukrainian man in Canada faces limbo amid consular freeze
A recent decision to restrict consular services for fighting-aged Ukrainian men has made a Ukrainian man in Canada feel less certain of his next steps — and worried he could be pulled back to the war.
B.C. tenants evicted for landlord's use after refusing large rent increase to take over neighbouring suite
Ashley Dickey and her mother rented part of the same Coquitlam duplex in three different decades under three different landlords.
Mountain guide dies after falling into a crevasse in Banff National Park
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
$70M Lotto Max winners kept prize a secret from family for 2 months
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.