What is the new variant of CJD?

Abstract. A new phenotype of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease termed new variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (nvCJD) was first described in March 1996. This differs from other forms of CJD in terms of its epidemiology, clinical features and neuropathology.

Is there a test for variant CJD?

The only current method to diagnose vCJD is to perform a biopsy or a postmortem analysis of brain tissue. Thus, a noninvasive test to detect prions in blood is a medical priority.

How common is variant CJD?

The risk of getting vCJD in the United States remains very low. Only four cases have been reported in the U.S. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), strong evidence suggests that these cases were acquired in other countries outside of the U.S.

What are the symptoms of variant Creutzfeldt Jakob disease?

Patients with vCJD have prominent psychiatric (frequently depression, anxiety and withdrawal) or sensory symptoms and delayed onset of neurologic abnormalities, including ataxia within weeks or months, and dementia and myoclonus late in the illness. The disease always progresses to death.

Is variant Creutzfeldt Jakob disease a virus?

Classic CJD is a human prion disease. It is a neurodegenerative disorder with characteristic clinical and diagnostic features. This disease is rapidly progressive and always fatal.

When was variant CJD discovered?

Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) is a prion disease that was first described in 1996 in the United Kingdom.

How did Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease start?

Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is a rapidly progressive, invariably fatal neurodegenerative disorder believed to be caused by an abnormal isoform of a cellular glycoprotein known as the prion protein.

What is the incubation period for variant CJD?

The incubation period for vCJD after food borne exposure is thought to be around 10 years. No vaccine or treatment is available. Most reported vCJD cases appear to have been infected through the consumption of bovine meat products contaminated with the agent of BSE.

Is variant CJD contagious?

Is CJD contagious? In theory, CJD can be transmitted from an affected person to others, but only through an injection or consuming infected brain or nervous tissue. There’s no evidence that sporadic CJD is spread through ordinary day-to-day contact with those affected or by airborne droplets, blood or sexual contact.

What can be mistaken for CJD?

The most common individual misdiagnoses were viral encephalitis, paraneoplastic disorder, depression, vertigo, Alzheimer disease, stroke, unspecified dementia, central nervous system vasculitis, peripheral neuropathy, and Hashimoto encephalopathy.

Does CJD run in families?

In hereditary CJD, the person may have a family history of the disease and test positive for a genetic mutation associated with CJD. About 10 to 15 percent of cases of CJD in the United States are hereditary.