Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSymptomsCausesRisk FactorsTreatment and OutlookPreventionFrequently Asked Questions
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Symptoms
Causes
Risk Factors
Treatment and Outlook
Prevention
Frequently Asked Questions
This article will discuss the symptoms, causes, treatment, and outlook of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.
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Other conditions that can be confused with CJD but are not the same as CJD include:
Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Symptoms
The effects of CJD are severe and extremely noticeable. The symptoms are expected to begin suddenly and worsen rapidly.
The recognized symptoms of CJD include:
Because the condition is so rare, however, your healthcare provider will likely consider other causes of these symptoms before making a diagnosis of CJD.
Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Causes
There are three ways that a person can become sick from CJD:
The brain damage may affect specific areas of the brain more than others, particularly thehippocampus, which is involved in memory, and theputamen, which is involved in movement.
Variant CJD
There are no known health or lifestyle factors that increase the risk of or trigger idiopathic CJD (with no known cause). According to the National Institute of Neurological Disease (NINDS), there are some risk factors for familial or acquired CJD.
These include:
There is no known treatment for CJD. The condition is known to worsen rapidly over months. It is expected to lead to death within a year.
A person with CJD will not be able to carry out self-care and will need support for managing daily activities. Some people may need nutritional support with afeeding tubeor intravenous fluids if they are not able to eat. Medication may also be prescribed to help manage symptoms such as spasms and agitation.
People who take care of someone who has CJD are not at any known risk of catching the disease.
Changes in the BrainCJD is believed to cause rapidly progressive changes in the brain. Theelectroencephalogram (EEG)of a person who has CJD shows substantial abnormalities in brain wave patterns, with erratic spike-and-wave patterns over the central area of the brain, as well as waves that are characteristic of epilepsy.
Changes in the Brain
CJD is believed to cause rapidly progressive changes in the brain. Theelectroencephalogram (EEG)of a person who has CJD shows substantial abnormalities in brain wave patterns, with erratic spike-and-wave patterns over the central area of the brain, as well as waves that are characteristic of epilepsy.
In general, prevention of CJD relies on avoiding or sterilizing equipment that may have come into contact with contaminated human tissue. If there is a chance of exposure, the NINDS outlines preventive methods, which include sterilizing or disposing of instruments that may have been exposed to contaminated tissue.
Anyone who will be handling tissue that might be contaminated should wear face, eye, hand, and body protection during potential exposure.
Summary
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is a rare neurological disease that occurs when a prion, which is a harmful type of protein, causes severe damage to the brain. The condition can occur sporadically, without a known cause or trigger. It can also run in families or it can be acquired through contact with contaminated tissue.
The disease has no cure. It causes a rapid progression of symptoms, including dementia, vision loss, and involuntary movements. Ultimately, it leads to death, often within a year of diagnosis.
A Word From Verywell
If you or a loved one is diagnosed with CJD, it can be overwhelming. The disease is serious and fatal, and it’s so rare that you may feel very alone as you are dealing with the effects and the prognosis. Additionally, since CJD is an unusual disease, you can come across a lot of incorrect information about it.
As you or a loved one is coping with the illness, make sure you seek out help for your health needs, as well as your emotional needs. Consider asking for a referral to a therapist, who can help you deal with the emotional challenges of living with CJD.
Frequently Asked QuestionsThe most common cause of this rare condition is a spontaneous mutation (genetic change) in a person’s DNA that causes formation of the harmful prions.This condition is usually fatal within a year. While there are some interventions that can help, such as nutritional support, there is no treatment for CJD.It can. Hereditary mutations can cause CJD. There are several potential mutations that can cause the disease to develop. The hereditary pattern can vary.
The most common cause of this rare condition is a spontaneous mutation (genetic change) in a person’s DNA that causes formation of the harmful prions.
This condition is usually fatal within a year. While there are some interventions that can help, such as nutritional support, there is no treatment for CJD.
It can. Hereditary mutations can cause CJD. There are several potential mutations that can cause the disease to develop. The hereditary pattern can vary.
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6 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Cassard H, Huor A, Espinosa JC, et al.Prions from sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease patients propagate as strain mixtures.mBio. 2020;11(3):e00393-20. doi:10.1128/mBio.00393-20Bonda DJ, Manjila S, Mehndiratta P, Khan F, et al.Human prion diseases: surgical lessons learned from iatrogenic prion transmission.Neurosurg Focus.2016;41(1):E10. doi:10.3171/2016.5.FOCUS15126Matsubayashi T, Akaza M, Hayashi Y, et al.Specific electroencephalogram features in the very early phases of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.J Neurol Sci.2022;437:120265. doi:10.1016/j.jns.2022.120265Jankovska N, Rusina R, Keller J, et al.Biomarkers analysis and clinical manifestations in comorbid Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: A retrospective study in 215 autopsy cases.Biomedicines.2022;10(3):680. doi:10.3390/biomedicines10030680National Institute of Neurological Disease and Stroke.Creutzfeld-Jakob disease fact sheet.Li JSY, Lim KC, Lim WEH, Chen RC.Clinics in diagnostic imaging (193). Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD).Singapore Med J. 2018;59(12):634-641. doi:10.11622/smedj.2018146
6 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Cassard H, Huor A, Espinosa JC, et al.Prions from sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease patients propagate as strain mixtures.mBio. 2020;11(3):e00393-20. doi:10.1128/mBio.00393-20Bonda DJ, Manjila S, Mehndiratta P, Khan F, et al.Human prion diseases: surgical lessons learned from iatrogenic prion transmission.Neurosurg Focus.2016;41(1):E10. doi:10.3171/2016.5.FOCUS15126Matsubayashi T, Akaza M, Hayashi Y, et al.Specific electroencephalogram features in the very early phases of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.J Neurol Sci.2022;437:120265. doi:10.1016/j.jns.2022.120265Jankovska N, Rusina R, Keller J, et al.Biomarkers analysis and clinical manifestations in comorbid Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: A retrospective study in 215 autopsy cases.Biomedicines.2022;10(3):680. doi:10.3390/biomedicines10030680National Institute of Neurological Disease and Stroke.Creutzfeld-Jakob disease fact sheet.Li JSY, Lim KC, Lim WEH, Chen RC.Clinics in diagnostic imaging (193). Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD).Singapore Med J. 2018;59(12):634-641. doi:10.11622/smedj.2018146
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Cassard H, Huor A, Espinosa JC, et al.Prions from sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease patients propagate as strain mixtures.mBio. 2020;11(3):e00393-20. doi:10.1128/mBio.00393-20Bonda DJ, Manjila S, Mehndiratta P, Khan F, et al.Human prion diseases: surgical lessons learned from iatrogenic prion transmission.Neurosurg Focus.2016;41(1):E10. doi:10.3171/2016.5.FOCUS15126Matsubayashi T, Akaza M, Hayashi Y, et al.Specific electroencephalogram features in the very early phases of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.J Neurol Sci.2022;437:120265. doi:10.1016/j.jns.2022.120265Jankovska N, Rusina R, Keller J, et al.Biomarkers analysis and clinical manifestations in comorbid Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: A retrospective study in 215 autopsy cases.Biomedicines.2022;10(3):680. doi:10.3390/biomedicines10030680National Institute of Neurological Disease and Stroke.Creutzfeld-Jakob disease fact sheet.Li JSY, Lim KC, Lim WEH, Chen RC.Clinics in diagnostic imaging (193). Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD).Singapore Med J. 2018;59(12):634-641. doi:10.11622/smedj.2018146
Cassard H, Huor A, Espinosa JC, et al.Prions from sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease patients propagate as strain mixtures.mBio. 2020;11(3):e00393-20. doi:10.1128/mBio.00393-20
Bonda DJ, Manjila S, Mehndiratta P, Khan F, et al.Human prion diseases: surgical lessons learned from iatrogenic prion transmission.Neurosurg Focus.2016;41(1):E10. doi:10.3171/2016.5.FOCUS15126
Matsubayashi T, Akaza M, Hayashi Y, et al.Specific electroencephalogram features in the very early phases of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.J Neurol Sci.2022;437:120265. doi:10.1016/j.jns.2022.120265
Jankovska N, Rusina R, Keller J, et al.Biomarkers analysis and clinical manifestations in comorbid Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: A retrospective study in 215 autopsy cases.Biomedicines.2022;10(3):680. doi:10.3390/biomedicines10030680
National Institute of Neurological Disease and Stroke.Creutzfeld-Jakob disease fact sheet.
Li JSY, Lim KC, Lim WEH, Chen RC.Clinics in diagnostic imaging (193). Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD).Singapore Med J. 2018;59(12):634-641. doi:10.11622/smedj.2018146
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