RARE FATAL DISEASE TIED TO HEROIN

Neurologists report second case of leucoencephalopathy in Kelowna, a
disease with a 50 per cent fatality rate.

A second case of leucoencephalopathy possibly connected to the smoking
of heroin is suspected in Kelowna.

The Capital News first reported in May that a young Kelowna woman was
suffering from the neurological condition and was being treated in
Kelowna General Hospital.

That young woman died in July and another possible case has since come
to the attention of neurologists.

"This is the second person in town that we are aware of," confirmed
Dr. Barry Jones.

"They have the same background and personal history."

That patient is one of at least 20 reported since 2002, including 16
so far this year.

Most of the cases are confined to the Lower Mainland but have shown up
in people from 19 to 51 from within various racial groups.

Almost 50 per cent of those patients have died from the condition and
Jones said the prognosis for recovery is low.

Smoking heroin from tinfoil is a practice known as chasing the
dragon.

Leucoencephalopathy is a brain-wasting disease that causes victims to
lose their sense of balance, have difficulty speaking and experience
muscle weakness. Victims may also behave inappropriately or be unaware
of their surroundings.

The provincial medical health officer Dr. Perry Kendall issued a
province-wide alert to all neurologists last May about a connection
between leucoencephalopathy and heroin use.

Jones said no autopsy was performed on the woman who died in July
although he has talked to the local coroner about the case.

He theorizes there may be a genetic trigger amongst the victims to a
toxin generated during the smoking process that predisposes them to
the disease.

"It might be something that long-term users have built up inside their
bodies," he said.

"The question we have is does the neurological deterioration continue
after people are removed from exposure."

One of the first signs of the disease is the loss of
coordination.

"They become clumsy. Eventually they can't feed themselves because
they can't get the fork to their mouths," he said.

"It really is dreadful. You have young people with nothing else wrong
with them and they have this devastating neurological impairment."