Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is a rare and fatal condition that affects the brain. It is a neurodegenerative disorder that leads to dementia and is characterized by rapidly worsening brain damage that leads to a rapid decrease in movement and loss of mental function. CJD is caused by an abnormal infectious protein called a prion that accumulates at high levels in the brain and causes irreversible damage to nerve cells. There are three types of CJD:
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Sporadic CJD: This is the most common type of CJD and occurs spontaneously without any known cause.
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Familial or inherited CJD: This is a very rare genetic condition where a person inherits a mutated gene from their parent that causes prions to form in their brain during adulthood, triggering the symptoms of CJD.
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Acquired CJD: This type of CJD is transmitted by exposure to brain or nervous system tissue, usually through certain medical procedures such as surgical grafts of dura mater, transplanted corneas, and implantation of inadequately sterilized electrodes in the brain. Variant CJD (vCJD) is a type of acquired CJD that can be acquired by eating meat from cattle affected by a disease similar to CJD called bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE, or “mad cow” disease).
Symptoms of CJD include loss of coordination, dementia, confusion, disorientation, hallucinations, muscle stiffness, twitching, and feeling nervous or jumpy. The disorder is fatal in a short time, usually within 8 months.
