CJD Disease :: essays research papers

CJD Disease   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Creutzfeld-Jakob Disease is a rare brain disorder that is fatal. Reseachers find about one case of CJD disease per million each year.CJD can effect anyone, this disease effects both males and females of different ethnic groups usually between the ages of 50-75 .This disease causes progressive dementia and neuromuscular problems. Researchers still don’t know for sure what agent causes the Creutzfeld-Jakob Disease, it is a topic that has been debated about. It was first thought to be a virus but a virus contains nucleic acid and when researchers looked at the CJD agent, they found it contained no nucleic acid. Also the chemicals that are supposed to make most viruses inactive did nothing to decrease the inefficiency of the CJD disease. There is a new theory thought that seems to make more sense. The theory that the CJD disease is not a virus but an uncoventional agent made of protein. This pathogen called a â€Å"prion â€Å" are thought to transform other protein molecules into deadly ones by changing the shape of the healthy molecules to the dangerous conformation. Prions are what link CJD disease and BSE disease. Bovine spongiform encephalopathy, also know as â€Å"mad cow disease,† is believe to be caused by prions, which is believed to cause CJD disease in humans.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Creutzfeldt-jakob disease can acquired in three ways. First, The disease can occur sporadically, this is when there is no evidence of the disease in the person’s family. Most CJD cases occur sporadically, so it’s hard to find the orgins. Second, the disease can be caused by inheritance. This is when someone shows a mutation in the gene coding for a prion protein that was passed to them by genetics. The third way of aquiring this disease is through infection. Researchers are not sure if this is a true way to get the disease but some doctors have gotten the disease after being expose to the infectious material inside someone who had the disease.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are many symptoms of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease as it goes on. The average time between symptoms and inevitable death is usually around one year. One symptom of the disease is a bad case of insomnia. Other symptoms include depression, confusion, personality and behavioral changes, strange physical sensations, and problems with memory, coordination and sight. As it goes on, the person develops dementia in most cases and develops irregular jerking movements.