Mad Cow Disease
Mad Cow Disease is the incorrect term for a condition that is actually called Creutzfeldt Jakob Disease. This is a brain disease, that is fatal and, to this day, does not yet have a cure. It affects neurological tissue, causing irreversible damage, and continues to degenerate until death. The only treatment that exists has been experimentally tested to help slow down the affects of the disease, but is no where near a cure. It is caused by a spongiform, often found in humans.
Creutzfeldt Jakob Disease is degenerative, which means the condition worsens as it progresses, and there is no cure to reverse the damage or stop it from escalating. This disease affects the brain tissue, which causes a variety of side affects through out the body. Normal functions, such as walking, speaking, and general movement, become hindered. Spasms, loss of cordination, changes in posture and even seizures often occur. Other brain functions are also affected, which results in memory loss, changes in personality and mood swings, as well as hallucinations are common. This disease can take anywhere from months, to mere weeks to kill it’s victim. Only one case out of a million is reported every year. The cases where this disease does occur, is often in individuals over the age of fifty.
Creutzfeldt Jakob Disease symptoms are caused by death of the nerve cells, and damage to brain tissue, which is a result of a buildup of proteins. When examining the brain of a victim of this disease, the cluster of nerve cells that have died are visible in the form of holes. This is where the name “spongiform” originates from; the texture of the brain after nerve cell damage.
How is this disease transmitted? There are a few different kinds of this disease, one is hereditary, the gene being passed down within a family. There is also a classic form, and a variant form, where the symptoms and life expectancy fluctuate. Some cases showed certain side affects, others did not, although the disease is the same. This disease can also be transmitted through skin grafts, and blood transfusions. It has been believed that it is possible to contract this disease by eating animal products, when the animal had been exposed to the disease. It has also been found in many cases of cannibalism through out the world. Through the use of sterilized utensils, and permanent disposal of the materials, the disease can be neutralized.
