Flu could lead to Parkinson's disease, warns study as the killer 'Aussie' and 'Japanese' strains of the virus continue to spread across the UK

By STEPHEN MATTHEWS FOR MAILONLINE  -  January 16, 2018

Scientists have 'evidence' swine flu, known as H1N1, can lead to the disease

The strain was responsible for 300,000 deaths across the world back in 2009

It leaves victims susceptible to toxins known to trigger Parkinson's, experts say 

The flu outbreak wreaking havoc this winter could cause Parkinson's disease, a study warns as the killer 'Aussie' virus continues to spread.

Scientists have found 'evidence' swine flu, known as H1N1, can lead to the incurable neurodegenerative condition. It is currently active in the UK.

Trials on mice showed the strain, responsible for 300,000 deaths across the world in 2009, leaves sufferers susceptible to toxins known to trigger Parkinson's. 

Other strains circulating the UK currently, including H3N2 - known as 'Aussie flu' and B Yamagata - branded 'Japanese flu' - could pose the same threat. 

The Thomas Jefferson University study comes amid the rapid spread of flu in the UK, with H1N1 being one of the strains floating around.

The death toll across the home nations is known to have hit 97 - with more fatalities expected in the coming weeks. 

The parents of an 18-year-old girl in Scotland, called Bethany Walker, attracted national attention when they revealed their daughter died from the flu last week.

A 'tough' mother was left unable to walk or eat for four days after she caught the dreaded 'Aussie flu', her daughter claims.

Tina Knight, 55, relied on her daughter, Kady, to care for her for an entire week after the killer virus took hold of her body.

Bed-ridden Tina was unable to wear a blanket because her skin was so sore during her 10-day battle, which is finally showing signs of being over.

She also struggled to breathe and swallow, forcing Kady, 29, to take her to A&E with flu-like symptoms - despite official advice not to.

Nursery worker Kady, from Brighton, spent the whole of last week off work to look after her mother, who was 'frightened' by her symptoms.

Tina Knight, 55, relied on her daughter, Kady, to care for her for an entire week after the killer virus took hold of her body (pictured together)

Speaking exclusively to MailOnline, Kady, who returned to work yesterday, said: 'Even she looked frightened.

'She said to me she was actually really scared at one point because she had never been this ill before.'

Tina was struck down with flu on January 5. Her condition quickly deteriorated over that weekend.

Kady said: 'My mum's quite tough, she doesn't let things bring her down, she just carries on normally, but she had to go straight to bed.

'By day three or four she hadn't eaten. I went shopping and bought her some soup hoping she would be able to eat that.

'But her throat had gone really sore, she was struggling to breathe and swallow and couldn't have the soup.' 

Kady also revealed her mother was rapidly switching between hot and cold and would get dizzy whenever she stood up to walk.

Alongside her flu-like symptoms, she suffered from stabbing pains in her chest - similar to a heart attack - and coughed up blood. 

Kady said: 'Mum couldn't walk, and I was too scared to leave her. It was really scary at one point when she was struggling to breathe.'

Doctors have been unable to confirm what strain of flu Tina was struck down by, but it could be H3N2 - known as 'Aussie flu'.

Kady added: 'He [the GP] did say to us that it was probably Aussie flu because of how bad the symptoms were.'

She claims she has 'no idea how' she didn't catch the virus of her mother - even though she was quarantined upstairs.

Tina, who still has a bad cough, is 'finally getting better' - but her family have to keep a close eye on her to make sure she doesn't get worse.

Cases of flu have also soared by 35 per cent, Government figures showed yesterday as officials try to contain the outbreak that is spreading rapidly.

Projections claim that the flu will become an epidemic by the end of the month, with the UK being hit by a number of strains simultaneously.

The new study found having been infected with the flu once leaves sufferers prone to the effects of toxins believed to lead to Parkinson's.

Coming down with flu at least once may also worsen the symptoms of the disease in later life, which include tremors, slow movements and stiff muscles.

Lead author Professor Richard Smeyne said: 'This study has provided more evidence to support the idea environmental factors, including influenza, may be involved in Parkinson's disease.

'Even mice who fully recover from H1N1 influenza... are later more susceptible to chemical toxins known to trigger Parkinson's in the lab.

'The H1N1 virus that we studied belongs to the family of type A influenzas, which we are exposed to on a yearly basis.

'Although the work presented here has yet to be replicated in humans, we believe it provides good reason to investigate this relationship further.'

He suggested the seasonal flu vaccine could have significant impact on long-term brain health, if the results prove true on humans. 

Professor David Dexter, deputy director of research at Parkinson’s UK, welcomed the findings.

He said: 'This study supports anecdotal evidence that major viral infections, such as the flu, can act as a tipping point, or speed up the onset of Parkinson’s for those who have the condition but don’t yet know they have it.

'This study also shows that a flu injection, for some, may reduce the damage to precious brain cells lost in Parkinson’s.

'While a lot of exciting research is happening in this area, we still do not fully understand the causes of Parkinson’s.'

Parkinson’s disease affects one in 500 people and around 127,000 people in the UK live with the condition. It is believed one million Americans also suffer.

High-profile victims include the actor Michael J Fox, who was diagnosed at the age of only 29, and the late boxing legend Muhammad Ali. 

Evidence already exists to suggest bird flu can trigger Parkinson's-like symptoms in mice.

The new study, published in npj Parkinson's Disease, looked at H1N1 - which is less lethal.

Researchers found it causes inflammation in the brain and triggers the release of cytokines - a protein released when the body fights an infection.

Studies have repeatedly shown that Parkinson's patients have higher levels of cytokines, while inflammation is widely considered to be a trigger of the disease. 

The study also showed that mice infected with the flu had more severe Parkinson's symptoms than those which didn't.

The rocketing number of flu cases in the UK has been put down to a surge in two aggressive subtypes attacking the population simultaneously.

One includes the so-called 'Aussie flu', a strain of influenza A which triggered triple the number of expected cases in Australia during the country's winter.

Experts fear the virulent H3N2 strain, which has now reached the UK, could prove as deadly to humanity as the Hong Kong flu in 1968, which killed one million people.

The other is a strain of influenza B, called Yamagata and dubbed 'Japanese flu', which has been blamed for the majority of cases so far this winter. 

Its rapid spread has raised concerns because it is not covered in a vaccine given to the elderly. However, experts claim it is less severe. 

Usually, just one subtype, either influenza A or B, is responsible for the majority of cases. It spreads easily in the cold weather.

Public Health England data, released today, showed there were 4,128 confirmed cases of flu in the week ending January 14.

Some 1,785 people were found to have influenza A, 2,278 were shown to have influenza B and a further 65 were unclassified.

This winter's outbreak appears to be 16 times more severe than that of 2015/16 - when just 262 cases of flu had been recorded at the same point.

WHAT FLU STRAINS ARE IN THE UK? 

There are many different types of flu circulating around the world, but four main types are being seen in Britain this winter.

H3N2 - Dubbed ‘Aussie flu’ after it struck Australia hard last winter, this strain is more likely to affect the elderly, who do not respond well to the current vaccine. This is one of the most common strains seen so far this winter, with 63 confirmed cases seen in official laboratories.

H1N1 - This strain – known as ‘swine flu’ - is generally more likely to hit children, who respond well to vaccination. This has been seen nearly as often as H3N2 so far this year, with 50 cases confirmed in labs. In the past it was only commonly caught from pigs, but that changed in 2009 when it started spreading rapidly among humans in a major global pandemic.

B / Yamagata - This is known as 'Japanese flu'. Only people who received the ‘four strain’ vaccine - which is being slowly rolled out after it was introduced for the first time this winter - are protected against the Yamagata strain. Those who received the normal ‘three strain’ vaccine are not protected, and it has been seen in 63 lab cases so far this winter.

B / Victoria - This strain is vaccinated against in the normal ‘three strain’ vaccine, but has hardly appeared so far this winter, with just four confirmed cases.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-5271053/Flu-lead-Parkinsons-disease-suggest-study.html

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