1. Identify Symptoms of Dementia
Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease is a rare and deadly brain disorder that currently has no cure. Unfortunately, the most reliable way to diagnose cases of CJD is through a brain biopsy, which can be extremely risky to the patient, and by autopsy. Since symptoms of CJD, which consist primarily of rapidly progressing dementia, can resemble so many other brain disorders, it's important to know some of the distinct and subtle differences.
The symptoms of dementia in CJD are noted for rapid appearance and progression. Patients first experience difficulties in muscle coordination, coupled with insomnia and depression. Then the patient may undergo radical changes in personality and temperament, marked with loss of memory, judgment and thinking. What separates the symptoms of CJD from many other types of neurological disorders is the appearance of myoclonus, or involuntary jerks and seizures. Myoclonus may contribute to the insomnia and depression as well.
2. Note the Rapid Increase of Symptoms
As the patient's health deteriorates, the symptoms become much more pronounced. CJD patients often become blind within a few months. These patients also report strange sensations and distorted perceptions, such as visual and auditory hallucinations, or numbness and tingling in extremities.
Again, what separates CJD from other forms of brain disorders such as Alzheimer's disease is the very rapid progression of these symptoms. Most CJD patients will succumb to the disease within one year after the symptoms first appear.
3. Use Caution in Treating Secondary Symptoms and Infections
In a significant percentage of CJD cases, death is caused by secondary symptoms and infections and not the disease itself. Pneumonia is very common in CJD cases, and the immune system may not be strong enough to withstand complications. In addition, an incapacitated patient with Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease should be moved constantly to avoid bedsores. Infections from any type of skin lesion can quickly spread throughout the body and cause death as well.
