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Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD)
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD)
(pronounced CROYZ-felt YAH-cob)
is a rare, rapidly fatal disorder affecting
about 1 out of 1 million people per year
worldwide. It usually affects individuals
older than 60.
CJD is one of the prion (PREE-awn)
diseases. These diseases occur when prion
protein, which is present throughout
the brain, begins to assume an abnormal
three-dimensional shape. This shape
gradually triggers the protein throughout
the brain to fold into the same abnormal
shape, leading to increasing damage and
destruction of brain cells.
Recently, “variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob
disease (vCJD)” was identified as the
human disorder believed to be caused by
eating meat from cattle affected by “mad
cow disease.” It tends to occur in much
younger individuals, in some cases as early
as their teens.
SYMPTOMS
- The first symptoms may involve impairment in memory,
thinking and reasoning or changes in
personality and behavior.
- Depression or agitation also tend to be early symptoms.
- Problems with movement may be present from the beginning or
appear shortly after the other symptoms.
- Symptoms progress rapidly and death typically occurs within
a year.
- There may be characteristic changes on an electroencephalogram
(EEG, or “brain wave” test).
- There may also be a characteristic substance called “14-3-3
protein” in the spinal fluid.
TREATMENT
- There is currently no treatment for CJD or vCJD.
MORE INFORMATION
CJD Foundation Homepage
www.CJDFoundation.org
Chronic Wasting Disease (PDF)
Medline Plus: Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease
www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus
Medline Plus is a consumer health information service of the U.S.
National Library of Medicine and National Institutes of Health (NIH).
This gateway page from Medline Plus Health Topics links to resources
from NIH agencies, major medical centers, and other sources selected by
Medline staff.
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