Creutzfeldt Jakob disease (CJD) is a rare brain condition that may result in dementia.
Creutzfeldt Jakob disease (CJD)
CJD mainly affects the brain. It leads to brain damage that rapidly worsens as time passes. Symptoms of the rare condition include personality changes, intellect and memory loss, speech slurring, coordination loss, vision issues and blindness, progressive mobility and brain function loss, and abnormal jerking movements.
The condition also has four primary types. The most common type is sporadic CJD. While the exact cause of this type of CJD is quite unclear, it has been posited that normal proteins in the brain end up abnormally changing and turning into a prion, which is a type of protein that is infectious and attributed to CJD. Though this type of CJD is the most common, sporadic CJD is still extremely rare. In fact, only one to two out of a million people in the UK get affected by the condition each year.
Other types of CJD are variant CJD, which is likely caused by the meat consumption of a cow with the mad cow disease; familial or inherited CJD, which is genetically inherited; and iatrogenic CJD, which happens when the infection is accidentally spread via surgical or medical treatments.
When it comes to diagnosis, a brain biopsy or autopsy is the typical standard for confirming the presence of CJD. However, it is rare for healthcare practitioners to make a precise CJD diagnosis before death. The diagnosis is based on one's personal and medical history, some diagnostic tests, and a neurological exam.
Prion Proteins Behind CJD
CJD is caused by a protein known as prion, which is both infectious and abnormal. These proteins could lead to irreversible nerve cell damage as they build up in significant quantities within the brain.
Despite being infectious, these prions are actually significantly different from bacteria and viruses. For one, extreme heat and radiation that are used for killing viruses and bacteria do not yield the same results among prions. Both antiviral and antibiotic medications also do not affect them.
CJD Treatment: Can It Be Cured?
Most individuals dealing with CJD end up dying within one year of the emergence of the symptoms. This usually happens due to infection, as the immobility that CJD causes could make people particularly prone and vulnerable to getting infections.
At present, CJD does not have any effective treatment. Several medicines have been tested and have not shown any benefits for the condition.
Hence, the focus of treatment is the relief of symptoms and the enhancement of the comfort level of the person dealing with the condition.
Such treatments could incorporate the use of antidepressants for dealing with depression and anxiety and painkillers for pain relief.
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