The possibility that stroke and Alzheimer's dementia might be transmissible is very bad news and has so many ramifications. People with Alzheimer's dementia will commonly have a deterioration in physical health, with injury and things like pressure sores making them bleed more.

[–] Gumus@lemmy.dbzer0.com -1 points 2 days ago (2 children)

They already have it, so getting it via transfusion presumably wouldn't change much.

I doubt many seniors with dementia donate blood...

[–] iocase@lemmy.zip 2 points 2 days ago (1 children)

We don't know the causality so its better to play it safe. What if pre-dementia or pre-alzheimers donors have the protien and it really is transmissible? For something as lethal as either of those diseases you would err on the side of caution and refuse donated blood with those proteins.

A massive contributor to why HIV/AIDS is so bad in Africa is becausecof pooled blood products that were contaminated with HIV from donors even after we knew it was transmissible by blood... those companies packaged and sold or donated those products to Africa seeding the current crisis.

[–] Gumus@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I completely agree with what you say. That's not what the comment I replied to talks about, though. They're talking about patients with dementia bad enough to hurt themselves. I don't think that in such case the protein being present in the transfusion matters much anymore.

[–] iocase@lemmy.zip 1 points 2 days ago

Oh whoops yeah I misread that

[–] Miller@lemmy.world 2 points 2 days ago

I was thinking more of the carers, nurses and family members of those suffering from the disease. Not only does it take everything from them that was themselves but now the prospect they might transmit it to those that care for them too.