CJD or Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, is a very rare and fatal condition. There is currently no known cause of this progressive condition that destroys the brain. Proteins within the brain develop abnormalities, and the patient develops spongy holes throughout the brain. It is characterized as either sporadic (happening suddenly with no known cause), inherited or acquired (as a result of contamination during medical procedures). Most patients die within one year after developing CJD. In some cases the patient lives only weeks or months. Symptoms may be mild at first but then get progressively worse.
Initial Symptoms
In the early stages you may have difficulty with your memory, trouble with your vision and your behavior may change. You may have trouble maintaining your balance and coordinating movement. It can mimic other conditions such as Alzheimer's. Since the symptoms are very general, a brain biopsy is the only way to confirm a diagnosis.
Additional Symptoms
According to the Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) Foundation, this condition does not produce the same symptoms in all patients, making it very challenging to diagnose. However, as the disease progresses, dementia usually sets in. Impaired judgment, personality changes, depression, insomnia, involuntary muscle jerks and twitches, weakness, blindness and recurrent infections are other warning signs.
End Stage Symptoms
In the later stages of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, complications such as pneumonia, heart failure, respiratory failure, infections, paralysis and an inability to speak begin to develop. Eventually the patent may lapse into a coma before passing away.
