Eight people from N.B. mystery illness cluster may have been misdiagnosed, new research says

Eight people who were identified as having an unknown neurological disease in New Brunswick did not die from something new and unknown and may have been misdiagnosed, according to new research published online.

An abstract presented earlier this month at the Canadian Association of Neuropathologists' annual meeting by Ottawa neuropathologist Dr. Gerard Jansen says the news of a possible neurological syndrome of unknown cause has "significantly disturbed the medical community" since it was revealed publicly in March.

The abstract says the authors hope their neuropathological findings "will bring some clarity."

The provincial government has previously said six people who were part of the cluster of people with a mystery brain disease had died.

It's not clear when the death toll climbed to eight people, but on Wednesday afternoon, the Department of Health will present its first report on its investigation into a cluster of 48 cases.

Jansen's abstract says his findings show the eight people died from a variety of causes, including cancer, Lewy body dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

"In these eight patients no evidence for a prion disease was found, nor novel pathology," the abstract says.

"We suggest that these eight patients represent a group of misclassified clinical diagnoses."

The abstract notes that an oversight committee, set up by the Health Department this past June, has been reviewing "clinical and epidemiological data of the patients in this cluster."

"We hope that our findings are useful to them," the report says.

Jansen, who presented the findings earlier this month, could not be immediately reached for an interview.

In May, he confirmed to CBC News that he was the pathologist who had diagnosed all five patients who had autopsies by that point. He also reviewed patient files for members of the cluster as part of a contract with the Public Health Agency of Canada.

But Jansen said he couldn't discuss the findings because the information was the property of the federal government.

"All to say that while there is a lot to be said about this cluster in New Brunswick, I am not at liberty to say anything," Jansen wrote in an email in May.