Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease

Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is a rare, degenerative, invariably fatal brain disorder. Typically, onset of symptoms occurs at about age 60. There are three major categories of CJD:  sporadic (the most common form, in which people do not have any risk factors for the disease); hereditary (in which the person has a family member with the disease and tests positive for a genetic mutation), and acquired (in which the disease is transmitted by exposure to brain and nervous system tissue, usually through certain medical procedures. A form called variant CJD can be acquired by eating meat from cattle affected by a disease similar to CJD, called bovine spongiform encephalopathy (commonly called “mad cow” disease).  Symptoms of CJD include problems with muscular coordination, personality changes including progressive and severe mental impairment, impaired vision that may lead to blindness, and involuntary muscle jerks called myoclonus.  People eventually lose the ability to move and speak and enter a coma.  Tests that help in the diagnosis of CJD include electroencephalography (which measures brain waves), detection of certain proteins in the fluid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord, and magnetic resonance imaging.. The first concern is to rule out treatable forms of dementia such as encephalitis or chronic meningitis. The only way to confirm a diagnosis of CJD is by brain biopsy or autopsy. In a brain biopsy, a neurosurgeon removes a small piece of tissue from the patient's brain so that it can be examined by a neurologist. Because a correct diagnosis of CJD does not help the individual, a brain biopsy is discouraged unless it is need to rule out a treatable disorder. .

Treatment

There is no treatment that can cure or control CJD, although studies of a variety of drugs are now in progress. Current treatment is aimed at alleviating symptoms and making the patient as comfortable as possible. Opiate drugs can help relieve pain, and the drugs clonazepam and sodium valproate may help relieve involuntary muscle jerks.

Prognosis

About 70 percent of patients die within 1 year. In the early stages of disease, patients may have failing memory, behavioral changes, lack of coordination and visual disturbances. As the illness progresses, mental deterioration becomes pronounced and involuntary movements, blindness, weakness of extremities, and coma may occur.

Research

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS, a part of the National Institutes of Health, supports research on CJD through grants to major medical research organizations. The leading scientific theory at this time maintains that CJD is caused by a type of protein called a prion. The harmless and the infectious forms of the prion protein are nearly identical, but the infectious form takes a different folded shape than the normal protein. Researchers are examining whether the transmissible agent is, in fact, a prion and trying to discover factors that influence prion infectivity and how the disorder damages the brain. Using rodent models of the disease and brain tissue from autopsies, they are also trying to identify factors that influence the susceptibility to the disease and that govern when in life the disease appears.

Organizations

Alzheimer's Association
National voluntary health organization committed to finding a cure for Alzheimer’s and helping those affected by the disease.

225 North Michigan Avenue
Floor 17
Chicago, IL 60601-7633
info@alz.org
http://www.alz.org
Tel: Chicago
Fax: 866.699.1246

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
1600 Clifton Road
Atlanta, GA 30333
inquiry@cdc.gov
http://www.cdc.gov
Tel: Atlanta

Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) Foundation Inc.
Non-profit, volunteer foundation that promotes research, education, and awareness of CJD and reaches out to people affected by CJD.

341 W. 38th Street, Suite 501
New York, NY 10018
help@cjdfoundation.org
http://www.cjdfoundation.org
Tel: New York
Fax: 330-668-2474

National Organization for Rare Disorders (NORD)
Federation of voluntary health organizations dedicated to helping people with rare "orphan" diseases and assisting the organizations that serve them. Committed to the identification, treatment, and cure of rare disorders through programs of education, advocacy, research, and service.

55 Kenosia Avenue
Danbury, CT 06810
orphan@rarediseases.org
http://www.rarediseases.org
Tel: Danbury
Fax: 203-798-2291

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NINDS Disorders is an index of neurological conditions provided by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. This valuable tool offers detailed descriptions, facts on treatment and prognosis, and patient organization contact information for over 500 identified neurological disorders.

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