Question

can some one tells me about Creutzfeldt jacob disease ???

Answer 1

Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is a rare, degenerative, invariably fatal brain disorder. It affects about one person in every one million people per year worldwide; in the United States there are about 300 cases per year. CJD usually appears in later life and runs a rapid course. Typically, onset of symptoms occurs about age 60, and about 90 percent of individuals die within 1 year. In the early stages of disease, people may have failing memory, behavioral changes, lack of coordination and visual disturbances. As the illness progresses, mental deterioration becomes pronounced and involuntary movements, blindness, weakness of extremities, and coma may occur.

CJD is caused by a transmissible agent called a prion. Prions are misfolded proteins that replicate by converting their properly folded counterparts, in their host, to the same misfolded structure that they possess. CJD causes the brain tissue to degenerate rapidly, and as the disease destroys the brain, the brain develops tiny holes and its appearance changes to resemble that of a kitchen sponge when viewed under the microscope.

Rapid mental deterioration will spiral within months and worsen over time, leading to coma in most cases. The disease will invariably lead to death within one or two years, with a 1-year survival rate of just 10%. Direct causes of death include heart failures, respiratory failure, pneumonia and other infections.