Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease
Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) is a type of neurodegenerative condition that is characterized by progressive neurodegeneration and leads to death. Its symptoms are similar to those of the other type of dementias but the symptoms progress very rapidly and ultimately results in death. CJD is a very rare diseases, with an occurrence rate of two cases per million per year. Its symptoms include: memory loss, impaired thinking, insomnia, incoordination, difficulty speaking and difficulty in swallowing among other symptoms. In the late stage of the disease, the mental symptoms worsen and death results from heart failure, lung failure and pneumonia within a year. Usually there is no known risk factor associated with the development of CJD but it tends to occur among people above 60 years, people with familial history of the disease and exposure to infected transplanted tissue. The progression of CJD is usually very rapid and there is no known treatment modality.