In an alarming health emergency, Oregon’s Hood River County has seen two fatalities due to Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), a lethal, uncommon brain illness. This follows the identification of three instances of the disease in the past eight months, two of which ended in death. Although one of these fatalities was confirmed by autopsy, the other two remain presumptive diagnoses. The connection between cases is unclear, although the Hood River County Health Department has ensured that public risk is “extremely low.” There are ongoing investigations by health officials of potential common causes, although “it’s pretty hard in some cases to come up with what the real cause is,” director of the county health department Trish Elliot said.
What Is Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease?
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is a rare, rapidly advancing brain disorder, belonging to the category of prion diseases, or transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs). The name “spongiform” is derived from the way the brain looks when it is sliced, being full of holes like a sponge. CJD impacts muscle coordination, memory, and thinking. With about 350 cases a year in the United States, CJD normally advances rapidly, with roughly 70% of those who have it dying within a year after diagnosis.
Causes of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease
CJD may occur in a variety of ways: sporadically, hereditarily, or by transmission. The majority of instances are sporadic, which occurs when an individual’s normal prion protein is converted into an abnormal version. In other instances, CJD may be hereditary, due to gene mutations that influence prion protein synthesis and are inherited in families. CJD is not spread through casual contact or airborne transmission, but it can be transmitted by direct contact with infected brain or nervous system tissue, especially in a medical environment.
Symptoms of CJD
The primary symptom of CJD is cognitive deterioration, which subsequently results in dementia, involuntary jerking of the muscles, and impaired motor function. Early indications may involve lack of coordination, walking or balance problems, difficulty speaking, dizziness, insomnia, changes in vision, and hallucinations. As the illness progresses, more symptoms may be present, including weakness in arms and legs, blindness, loss of ability to speak or move, swallowing trouble, and coma.
Treatment of CJD
There is no cure for CJD today. Treatment involves symptom relief and comfort care for the patient. Patients in later stages might need IV fluids and tube feeding with the help of machines.
