Unknown disease: The doctor in the middle of the story says he found nothing

This is not a theory I invented Dr. Alier Marrero said in an interview Wednesday afternoon.

Often, unfortunately, in complex diseases [où il y a de la] Difficulty in diagnosing, especially when these diseases are new, a lot of misunderstanding and education needs to be done, He explained.

It is believed that someone behind these neurological diagnoses still has a new syndrome that strikes New Brunswickers.

Why there [aurait] Most cases and most cases look like this, increase over the years and more cases, He he said. There is also a clinical context, we see many other patients, often very young, who quickly develop symptoms that include factors that may indicate prion disease or a neurotoxic one.

Dr. Alier Marrero continues and gave signs. He continued his theory about the existence of an unknown neurological disease.

Photo: Radio-Canada / Horizon Health Network

Dr. Alier Murrero also noted that although the majority of cases have his office as a starting point, experts from other parts of the country Analyzing the data, New Brunswick led the case definition of public health sharing with all physicians.

He also mentioned that he was working In close collaboration with Canadian Kreitzfeldt-Jacob Disease Surveillance System and Public Health Canada.

Doubts about the disease … and about Dr. Murrero

Dr. Alier Murrero made the announcement shortly after the end of a press conference on an unknown disease, in which the New Brunswick Minister of Health Dorothy Shepherd claims to doubt his existence.

I believe there is good reason for public health to suspect the presence of an unknown neurological disease (…) I do not anticipate the conclusion of the investigation [clinique] Is in progress, but I believe we have reached the end, She said Wednesday.

Health Minister Dorothy Shepherd at a press conference on Wednesday afternoon on an unknown neurological disease.

Photo: Radio-Canada

Public Health also shared the results of the first epidemiological test – a questionnaire made by telephone, with only 34 of the 48 known cases responding – confirming that there was no evidence to suggest that it was an environmental cause or a toxin. Food made people sick.

The minister and other public health officials insisted that almost all cases of the disease were reported by a single neurologist. They did not name him, but it was Dr. Alier Marrero. He reported 46 of the 48 known cases. The remaining cases were reported by two other doctors.

The minister also said that we have found out Vacancies in case reporting processes, Contains Often allowing certain conditions to escalate without supervision.

When faced with these questions, a team of six neurologists was tasked with reviewing the files of patients who were thought to be suffering from an unknown disease. Their role is to provide an unbiased perspective on the matter. This independent clinical examination report should be released at the beginning of the new year.

The province has also tightened standards that allow the patient to be considered part of a case cluster. From now on, the approval of two medical professionals will be required to identify new cases. Minister Dorothy Shepard also sent a letter to the new Federal Health Minister Jean-Yves Duclos. Challenges Changes in the survey and some policies.

New Brunswick’s public health was not the only one to suspect the presence of the disease. The day before, a neuropathologist who reviewed the autopsy of some patients believed he had an unknown disease. It has been argued that these patients are being misdiagnosed, They are suffering from known diseases (such as Alzheimer’s or cancer) and nothing indicates the presence of a new unknown disease.

These autopsy reports – such as the Public Health Epidemiological Investigation Report – emphasize that it is impossible to make conclusions about a new disease.

So it is impossible to confirm that there is, but it is impossible to say that it does not exist.

Dr. Murrero condemned the publication of the autopsy

Dr. Alier Murrero questioned the conclusions drawn from the autopsy conducted by neuropathologist Dr. Gerard Johnson.

He also said to himself Related And Shocked See if resolutions are made with Some selected autopsy reports on some patients.

When it comes to his patients, he denies disclosing the results of these autopsies to the media without his permission.

I think fights over autopsies should not be questioned in the media, He added.

In a written statement sent Thursday evening, a spokesman for the Canadian Public Health Agency responded to questions from the neurologist regarding the release of the autopsy results.

The Canadian Public Health Agency is unaware of Dr. Johnson’s publication on the website of the Canadian Association of Neuropathologists and does not approve the use of data obtained from autopsies for these purposes., Wrote spokeswoman Charlene Sleeman.

Dr. Alier Murrero believes that in order to give answers to his patients and their families, it is important to continue to investigate this mysterious disease.

As a physician, I think we must be advocates for our patients and that we bring hope. We, too, at the level of our health systems, need to remove alarms a little and cooperate to the contrary, He believes.

What is the role of Dr. Murrero in the rest of the trial?

Everything suggests that the neurologist was involved as a result of the research.

Comments by Health Minister Dorothy Shepherd, as well as documents obtained under the Information Access Act by Radio-Canada / CBC Alier Murrero shows that he played a key role in the early stages of the investigation. Her character has changed over the last few months since then.

In April, Minister Dorothy Shepherd chaired the Unknown Neurological Disease Committee chaired by Dr. Alier Murrero.

Then, in May, when the province created an expert committee to review the work of the neurologist, the minister suggested that Dr. Alier Marrero would continue to play an important role.

This week, however, the minister’s confidence in Dr. Alier Murrero appeared to have waned. Dr. Marrero is not conducting this investigation, Public Health is conducting this investigation, She told reporters.

When asked about the possibility of Dr. Alier Murrero making mistakes in his diagnosis, the vice president of medical affairs at Vitalite Health Network, where the neurologist works, avoided answering the question directly.

With the information released today, we will have to sit down with the doctor to review his records and discuss with him., Said Dr. Natalie Bonville. We can not comment before discussing with him.

With information from Nicholas Steinbach and Karissa Donkin, CBC