Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease - Research Paper Example

Creutzfeld-Jakob disease is caused by infectious agents known as prions. Prions are a form of proteins which are common in the human body and usually harmless. But, when prion proteins are misshaped or folded they become infectious causing nearby healthy cells to replicate the abnormal shape. While the contaminated cells quickly deteriorate tissue, the brain forms holes leaving the texture so drastically altered it resembles that of a sponge. The rare disease can be transmitted a multitude of ways such as by contamination, sporadically or through inheritance.

Transmission through contamination is classified as those which contract the disease after being exposed to infected tissue during surgeries, such as cornea transplants. Consisting of less than 10% of all cases, risk of exposure is low, yet still possible due to the ability of infectious agents to withstand typical sterilization practices of medical equipment. The majority of cases, approximately 85%, are attributed to the sporadic occurrence of CDJ where the disease presents spontaneously and not attributed to another form of transmission.

Some cases are deemed inherited when found in patients testing positive for certain mutated genes or with a family history of CDJ. This category includes the majority of cases seen in younger patients, some being in their late twenties. Symptoms Accurate diagnosis of Creutzfekd-Jakob disease is only possible by brain biopsy or autopsy. Few biopsies are performed due to danger to the patient, inability to ensure the section removed is from a currently infected area and the chance of others contracting the disease through exposure to the infected brain tissue.