What is variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease?
Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) is the human form of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE, also known as ‘mad cow disease’) and was first described in 1996 in the United Kingdom. vCJD is different to other forms of human CJD (also known as classical CJD, or cCJD) which occur naturally at a rate of approximately 1 – 1.5 cases per million population (or about 20 people) per year in Australia. Please refer to the classical CJD pages for more information. All forms of CJD belong to a group of rare and fatal diseases called transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs), where the infectious agent is believed to be an abnormal form of a naturally-occurring protein known as a prion. Whilst people with cCJD and vCJD present with similar clinical symptoms, prominent features of vCJD include serious psychiatric and behavioural disorders and abnormal sensory perceptions. Patients with this condition are typically much younger than those with cCJD and the course of the illness is gene
Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) is the rare but fatal human form of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) and was first described in 1996 in the United Kingdom. vCJD is different to other forms of human CJD that are also fatal. According to Mathews (2009) patients typically present with behavioural or psychiatric symptoms at a much younger age than in other forms of CJD and the illness is typically longer. Sporadic (or classical) CJD occurs naturally at a rate of about 1–1.5 cases per million people each year in most countries including Australia. There have been no cases of vCJD diagnosed in Australia. It is possible that a very small number of Australian cases of vCJD might be detected in the future in people who have eaten beef or beef products from BSE-infected cattle while living or visiting BSE affected countries or who have received blood or undergone medical procedures in these countries. As of September 2009, a total of 212 cases of vCJD have been notified worldwide:
