| | ''Not to be confused with [[Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease]], the disease responsible for the UK epidemic.'' | | ''Not to be confused with [[Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease]], the disease responsible for the UK epidemic.'' |
| − | '''Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease''' is a sporadic and rare, but fatal human [[disease]] that usually strikes people over 55. It is a [[transmissible spongiform encephalopathy]], and like other TSEs, is caused by [[prion]]s and always fatal. It occurs worldwide at an estimated rate of one case per million population, although it's possible that between 15,000 and 75,000 cases of CJD occur in the US alone. New studies show that 3-13% of Alzheimer's disease cases are actually misdiagnosed CJD. About 10-15% of CJD cases are inherited. A small number of cases occurred as the result of various medical treatments or procedures which inadvertently transferred prions. This is known as [[iatrogenesis]]. The incubation period of this disease is between 20 and 60 years. | + | '''Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease''' is a sporadic and rare, but fatal human [[disease]] that usually strikes people over 55. It is a [[transmissible spongiform encephalopathy]], and like other TSEs, is caused by [[prion]]s and always fatal. It occurs worldwide at an estimated rate of one case per million population, although it's possible that between 15,000 and 75,000 cases of CJD occur in the US alone. New studies show that 3-13% of Alzheimer's disease cases are actually misdiagnosed CJD. About 10-15% of CJD cases are inherited. A small number of cases occurred as the result of various medical treatments or procedures which inadvertently transferred prions. This is known as [[iatrogenesis]]. The incubation period of this disease is between 20 and 60 years. It's thought that genetics controls the incubation period. |