Rapidly Progressive Encephalopathy: Initial Diagnosis of Creutzfeldt Jakob Disease in an Intensive Care Unit

Authors

• Patrícia Afonso Mendes Internal Medicine Department, Centro Hospitalar e Universitário de Coimbra, Coimbra
• Emilia Trigo Intensive Care Department, Centro Hospitalar e Universitário de Coimbra, Coimbra
• Rui Pina Internal Medicine Department, Centro Hospitalar e Universitário de Coimbra, Coimbra
• Paulo Martins Intensive Care Department, Centro Hospitalar e Universitário de Coimbra, Coimbra
• Jorge Pimentel Intensive Care Department, Centro Hospitalar e Universitário de Coimbra, Coimbra

patriciafilipa.afonso@gmail.com

Keywords

Abstract

Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is a rare, incurable and fatal condition that can only be confirmed through neuropathological investigation, such as brain biopsy or post-mortem study. However, a probable diagnosis can be made using clinical criteria. CJD manifests as rapidly progressive dementia with myoclonus and to a lesser extent visual impairment and cerebellar and pyramidal/extrapyramidal signs. We report the case of a previously independent adult male that met all the clinical criteria. Taken together, the investigation results suggested probable CJD.

References