Common disease symptoms of Mad-Cow Disease
Mad-Cow Disease
Mad-Cow Disease was the scare of the 1990s. With considerable media coverage and public fear, Mad-Cow Disease but one of many infectious disease scares of history. Unlike many of the other scares, however, Mad-Cow Disease was one of exaggerated panic. The disease is very rare in humans, with only a few reported cases per year.
The disease is caused by prions located in cattle. Proteins are said to turn into prions due to the presence of some kind of virus. Mad-Cow Disease causes sponge like holes in the central nervous system, or the brain. It is tough to imagine, but any image of a sponge-like brain is enough to cause panic among the public. Cattle contract the disease when they are fed products from other cattle with the mad cow disease. When humans eat the meat, they often have a chance of contracting the disease as well. It can only be transferred from human-to-human through an infected blood transfusion, tissue transplant, or infected surgical instruments.
The disease symptoms of Mad-Cow Disease can be very frightening, especially when compounded with the fact that there is no diagnosis or treatment for the disease. It is almost impossible to diagnose, and as it is incurable, a diagnosis would be of little use. While there is no cure, there are some available treatments to quell the disease symptoms.
Disease symptoms of Mad-Cow Disease may take from 2-8 years to incubate, leaving many who are infected unaware of their infection. The rest of this article focuses on the disease symptoms of Mad-Cow Disease in humans:
- Earlier disease symptoms of Mad-Cow Disease include insomnia, anxiety, and depression. As the brain begins its degeneration, patients may display a more withdrawn personality, and be confused more often than usual. The inability to sleep is also common. Involuntary muscle contractions are common and can be very painful.
- It is a common disease symptom to see the personality of the individual change drastically. Their behavior, then, will also change.
- As the disease gets worse, the disease symptoms get worse as well. Muscle coordination and control become troublesome. The patient may also experience blurred vision and memory loss, common disease symptoms associated with the degeneration of the brain. Patients suffering from Mad-Cow Disease may very well forget the names of people close to them, and eventually forget the names of common objects around them.
- In addition, the damage to the nervous system may cause a sensation in the extremities of the patient.
- Further disease symptoms include dementia, a prevalent mental illness characterized by a decline in the functionality of the brain. Dementia may cause a loss of memory or change in personality and behavior.
- Patients will experience a loss of bodily functions. Mental function also becomes almost impossible.
- In the final stage of disease symptoms, an individual may fall into a coma, eventually leading to death. It may take 6-12 months to reach the final stage, after the first appearance of disease symptoms.