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Published On: Sat, Dec 8th, 2012

Macao woman who had brain surgery in Hong Kong likely has Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease

CJD

Magnified 100X, and stained with H&E (hematoxylin and eosin) staining technique, this light photomicrograph of brain tissue reveals the presence of prominent spongiotic changes in the cortex, and loss of neurons in a case of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD). Image/CDC

A 51-year-old female Macao resident who had undergone a brain operation in a private hospital in Hong Kong on September 19, has been diagnosed with sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD), according to a Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health press release Dec. 6.

According to the health authority of Macao, the woman who developed progressive dementia with limbs spasm, unstable gait, muscle twitching and visual disturbance suggestive of CJD, has been admitted to a hospital in Macao on October 30. Her clinical diagnosis was sporadic CJD and the patient is now in severe condition.

Upon notification of this report, the CHP followed the  international practice and advised the hospital to contact the patients who had undergone procedures using the same set of instruments as the patient since September 19.

A CHP spokesman said, “CJD is a rare disease that affects the brain and is thought to be caused by the build up of an abnormal, transmissible protein called ‘prion’ in the brain.”

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Classic CJD is a human prion disease. It is a neurodegenerative disorder with characteristic clinical and diagnostic features. This disease is rapidly progressive and always fatal. Infection with this disease leads to death usually within 1 year of onset of illness.

The prion diseases or transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSE) include Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and all its variants, kuru and Gerstmann-Staussler-Scheinker syndrome.

Though not fully characterized, a prion is an abnormally folded protein which can have long incubation times of many years.

Human prion disease can be acquired through diet, medical treatment, surgery or blood transfusion and some are considered genetic. There is no treatment for human prion disease.

Since CJD is not transmitted through casual contact, isolation of patients is not necessary. To prevent the disease from spreading, tissue or organ transplant from any CJD patients or re-use of potentially contaminated surgical instruments should be avoided.

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About the Author

- Writer, Co-Founder and Executive Editor of The Global Dispatch. Robert has been covering news in the areas of health, world news and politics for a variety of online news sources. He is also the Editor-in-Chief of the website, Outbreak News Today and hosts the podcast, Outbreak News Interviews on iTunes, Stitcher and Spotify Robert is politically Independent and a born again Christian Follow @bactiman63

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  1. Surgical Procedures Continue to Advance - The Global Dispatch says:

    […] can be the only solution to save a life in many situations, and doctors are improving procedures in skull and brain surgery and pancreatic surgery. Doctors are hopeful that these procedures will improve medical practices, […]

  2. Terry S. Singeltary Sr. says:

    very sad, for all involved, for decades to come, I am sorry. I submit the following in good faith, I lost my Mom to hvCJD, ‘confirmed’. …kindest regards, terry…

    Saturday, July 6, 2013

    Small Ruminant Nor98 Prions Share Biochemical Features with Human Gerstmann-Sträussler-Scheinker Disease and Variably Protease-Sensitive Prionopathy

    Research Article

    http://nor-98.blogspot.com/2013/07/small-ruminant-nor98-prions-share.html

    Thursday, January 17, 2013

    TSE guidance, surgical, dental, blood risk factors, Part 4 Infection control of CJD, vCJD and other human prion diseases in healthcare and community settings (updated January 2013)

    http://transmissiblespongiformencephalopathy.blogspot.com/2013/01/tse-guidance-surgical-dental-blood-risk.html

    Sunday, June 9, 2013

    TSEAC March 14, 2013: Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies Advisory Committee Meeting Webcast

    http://tseac.blogspot.com/2013/06/tseac-march-14-2013-transmissible.html

    Tuesday, May 28, 2013

    Late-in-life surgery associated with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease: a methodological outline for evidence-based guidance

    http://creutzfeldt-jakob-disease.blogspot.com/2013/05/late-in-life-surgery-associated-with.html

    Wednesday, June 19, 2013

    Spreading of tau pathology in Alzheimer’s disease by cell-to-cell transmission

    http://tauopathies.blogspot.com/2013/06/spreading-of-tau-pathology-in.html

    there was no information for the public in 1997, on the TSE prion disease. I just made a promise to mom…

    with kindest regards,
    terry

  3. Brazil reports first case of ‘Mad Cow disease’ in a cow that died two years ago - The Global Dispatch says:

    […] Macao woman who had brain surgery in Hong Kong likely has Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease […]

  4. Macao Woman Battling Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease | Gary Chandler says:

    […] Read More> http://www.theglobaldispatch.com/macao-woman-who-had-brain-surgery-in-hong-kong-likely-has-creutzfel… […]

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