A scientific review has found no evidence of a mystery neurological disease in New Brunswick.
The study was published Wednesday by the Journal of the American Medical Association, also known as JAMA.
Six neurologists carried out clinical evaluations at two hospitals in New Brunswick and Ontario, according to the study.
They reviewed 25 of the more than 200 patients who were diagnosed with a mystery neurological illness by a Moncton neurologist.
“Well-known conditions were identified in all 25 cases, including common neurodegenerative diseases, functional neurological disorder, traumatic brain injury, and metastatic cancer,” said the study.
The review found that inaccurate clinical assessments and an overreliance on non-standard lab tests may have led to the misdiagnoses.
It also noted that traditional and social media amplified “unfounded concerns” around the mystery disease.
“Second, independent clinical evaluations are needed for any patient given a diagnosis of [neurological syndrome of unknown cause],” said the study.
Meanwhile, the New Brunswick government recently launched its second investigation into cases of undiagnosed neurological illness.
Chief Medical Health Officer Dr. Yves Léger said they have received completed and verified packages for 222 individual patients, which is enough to do data analysis.
The findings and any recommendations on next steps are expected to be released later this summer, Léger said in late March.
An initial investigation by Dr. Jennifer Russell, the province’s then-chief medical officer of health, found no evidence of a common illness among a group of 48 patients.
