Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

ARTICLE SECTIONS

Introduction Signs and symptoms Causes Risk factors

Screening and diagnosis Complications Treatment Prevention

Introduction

Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is a degenerative brain disorder that eventually leads to dementia. Symptoms of CJD sometimes resemble those of other brain disorders such as Alzheimer's and Huntington's disease, but Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease usually progresses much more rapidly than do other diseases associated with dementia.

Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease captured public attention in the 1990s when a form of the disease — variant CJD (vCJD) — developed among a number of people in the United Kingdom who had eaten meat from cattle suspected of having mad cow disease.

Although serious, the disease is rare. Worldwide, doctors typically diagnose one case of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease per million people each year, most commonly in older adults. Treatment of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease focuses on relieving symptoms and maximizing comfort.

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Signs and symptoms