QUESTION: I am a state certified nursing assistant.
I work in a nursing home and have had contact with a resident who has "Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease".
What can you tell me about this disease?
ANSWER: It is also called "subacute spongiform encephalopathy" and was first described by Dr.
H.G.
Creutzfeldt in 1912.
It is defined as a progressive, inevitably fatal, slow viral disease of the central nervous system.
The disease occurs world wide, but how it is spread from person to person is still unknown.
It affects men and women alike, usually past the age of 50.
It is probably due to some infecting organism, but a hereditary familial form has been described.
The first signs of the disease are often self neglect, apathy or irritability, with some patients complaining of weariness and fatigue, while others speak of drowsiness, insomnia or other sleep disorders.
Within a brief time, disorientation and confusion appear, and gradually many of the higher intellectual functions of speech, reading, and writing, as well as smell become affected and are gradually lost.
There may be many ocular disturbances including a dimming of vision, and many abnormalities of movement with rigidity of the limbs, and tremor present along with loss of power and an altered gait.
All these signs and symptoms are a result of the gradual degeneration of many areas in the brain.
Finally a dementia sets in and the disease ends in death, after a brief 3 to 12 month course, commonly as the result of the complication of a pneumonia.
There are no specific treatments for the disease, except for routine care to help reduce symptoms.
Of particular interest to you is the need for caution in handling all fluids or other materials from these patients to prevent transmission.
Many standard methods of sterilization are ineffective, and steam autoclaving at 132 degrees Centigrade for 1 hour, or soaking in sodium hydroxide solution for 1 hour is recommended for all materials.
The material contained here is "FOR INFORMATION ONLY" and should not replace the counsel and advice of your personal physician.
Promptly consulting your doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical problem.
