It has been just revealed the fact that cases of Creutzfeldt-Jokob’s disease are on the rise. Check out the latest reports about this below.
New cases of Creutzfeldt-Jokob’s disease are rising
Recently, medical researchers have been baffled by an unusual increase in the number of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) cases. CJD is a rare and degenerative condition that leads to fatality. This sudden trend is especially affecting elderly people, particularly women. It has become a major cause for concern.
“CJD is a rare brain disorder marked by distinct alterations and rapid deterioration of brain tissue that affect muscle coordination, cognition, and memory. It is caused by a transmissible pathogen known as a proteinaceous infectious particle, or prion,” according to official notes.
The pathogen induces abnormal folding of prions abundant in the brain, resulting in swift and severe brain damage, ultimately leading to death. Between 70% and 95% of individuals diagnosed with the condition die within a year.
The same notes reveal the fact that “Prions resist conventional methods used to treat other pathogens. They withstand extreme heat and radiation that are typically effective against bacteria and viruses and remain impervious to antibiotics and antivirals.”
According to official notes, CJD is the predominant form of human prion disease, with approximately 85 percent of cases categorized as sporadic (spontaneous type) and 15 percent stemming from inherited mutations of the prion protein gene.
A study published in JAMA Neurology notes the fact that there was an increase in incidence from 1.06 to 1.58 per million cases in women and from 1.05 to 1.47 per million in men. Adjusting for age, the rise was significant for women but not men.
“Our findings indicate the reported incidence of CJD has risen considerably, disproportionately affecting older and female individuals,” the authors wrote.
Factors that include the aging population and improved detection methods might contribute to the observed rise, Dr. Robinson-Papp added. It is also worth noting the fact that the 2020 findings from Japanese data revealed increased CJD incidence, especially in those over 50.
