Changes to the mood identified as an early sign of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

Changes to the mood identified as an early sign of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

New scientific knowledge about Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJK) open up opportunities for previous diagnoses! An interdisciplinary team of the MedUni Vienna identified mood changes as possible early signs of this rare but fatal neurodegenerative disease. According to the study, which was published in the respected trade magazine jama neurology , patients who suffer from sporadic CJK, especially selective serotonin-reprinthemmers (SSRI), prescribed, and up to three years before the outbreak of the disease. This could indicate that fundamental mood disorders are often the first sign of the disease that later lead to neurological symptoms, said first author Raphael Wurm.

The researchers examined data from 129 autopsy patient: inside with confirmed CJK and compared them with over 1,300 control persons without the disease. It turned out that the probability of a SSRI prescription was almost three times higher in the year before the diagnosis in CJK patients: 18.6% compared to 8.2%). According to the researchers, this testifies to an increased prevalence of mood changes in the protromal phase, which are often noticed by relatives. Dr. also reported on the increasing importance of such symptoms for the early detection of CJK Hakan Cetin from the research team.

background to the disease

The Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, the most common form of CJK, accounts for about 85 percent of all cases and occurs sporadically without known external triggers. 15 to 20 cases are registered in Austria every year. The disease is incurable and leads to death within months, which underlines the urgency to better recognize the early symptoms and to initiate suitable diagnostic steps. Among other things, CJK is caused by incorrectly folded prion proteins, the exact origin and mechanisms of which are still unknown to this day. The publication of these latest study results could not only help to improve understanding of early disease, but also toast new approaches to the treatment and care of those affected, according to the researchers.