DEAR DR. DONOHUE: My beloved brother died this year from Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. He was only 57. The doctors told us he could have gotten the disease from eating contaminated meat or from heredity. They said it was like mad cow disease. His son is worried that he might come down with it. Can you shed some light on this? – B.G.

ANSWER: Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease – C-J disease – is not a new disease, but it is a recently recognized one caused by a prion. A prion is a protein. Only a few years ago, a protein being a source of infection was considered implausible. Most prions are mutant forms of a normal body protein.

C-J disease is a very rare illness. Worldwide, only one case in every million people occurs. It is a rapidly progressive loss of mental function that turns a person into a mute, expressionless, inert human just prior to death. One telltale symptom is involuntary jerks of the arms and legs. Startling a C-J patient sparks a series of jerks. A brain wave test that shows distinctive changes adds to the evidence for C-J illness. However, the only certain way to make a diagnosis is a microscopic study of brain tissue. The microscope discloses multiple holes in the brain that make it look like a sponge. The pathological name for C-J disease is spongiform (spongelike) encephalopathy (brain wasting), and the name for mad cow disease is bovine spongiform encephalopathy – both are in the same disease classification.

In Britain, a few people who ate mad-cow-infected beef have come down with a variant type of C-J disease. Your brother does not fit the picture of “new variant” C-J disease. An inherited C-J variety is a rare form of a very rare disease. It comes on earlier in life. Your brother did not have the inherited kind of this illness. People don’t get it from living in the same house as a C-J patient. About 10 percent of C-J patients fit into the inherited C-J category. Your nephew does not have to worry on either score.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I am 52, and at my family doctor’s insistence I had my first colonoscopy. No cancer was found, but the specialist who did the scope exam told me my colon had turned black. He said it was from laxatives. I have used laxatives off and on. What is this? Is it related to colon cancer? – K.B.

ANSWER: The condition is melanosis coli. Laxatives that contain anthraquinone can impart a brown or black color to the colon lining. It is not colon cancer. It is not colon precancer. It’s an oddity that shows you have been relying too heavily on laxatives.

Laxatives that contain this substance include Senokot and Ex-Lax. People do not have to throw these laxatives into a bonfire. They should not, however, take them on a regular basis.

Discontinuing use of these laxatives for a few months returns the colon lining to a normal color.

Colon cancer is one of the deadliest cancers. It’s a subject that demands a complete presentation. The colon cancer pamphlet offers such a presentation. Readers can obtain a copy by writing: Dr. Donohue – No. 505, Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. Enclose a check or money order (no cash) for $4.50 U.S./$6.50 Can. with the recipient’s printed name and address. Please allow four weeks for delivery.

DEAR DR. DONOHUE: I take Zocor to lower my cholesterol. It has done a good job of bringing my cholesterol down. I have heard that Zocor causes cataracts. I am 72, and my eye doctor tells me I have the beginnings of cataracts in both eyes. Should I stop taking Zocor? – W.C.

ANSWER: Zocor is one of the statin drugs. The statins reliably lower cholesterol, and the number of people taking them runs in the many millions.

In the statin drugs’ infant days, there was talk of their linkage to cataracts. However, since those early days, the association of statin drugs to cataracts is miniscule, if it exists at all.

At age 72, most people have the beginnings of cataracts. Perhaps the best way to keep them from growing is to wear sunglasses that filter out ultraviolet light. And don’t smoke – another cataract cause.

Dr. Donohue regrets that he is unable to answer individual letters, but he will incorporate them in his column whenever possible. Readers may write him or request an order form of available health newsletters at P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475.

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