May 23, 2025
Last week we learned about how CJD disease is diagnosed and treated. Tonight, on House Call, a medical professional from UHC explains there are other diseases that are similar to CJD.
1). How can I help improve care for people with CJD?
Clinical trials are studies that allow us to learn more about disorders and improve care. They can help connect patients with new and upcoming treatment options.
Consider participating in a clinical trial so clinicians and scientists can learn more about CJD. Clinical research with human study participants helps researchers learn more about a disorder and perhaps find better ways to safely detect, treat, or prevent disease.
All types of participants are needed, those who are healthy or may have an illness or disease—of all different ages, sexes, races, and ethnicities, to ensure that study results apply to as many people as possible, and that treatments will be safe and effective for everyone who will use them.
2). Are there other diseases that are similar to CJD?
Though they have very similar names, CJD and variant CJD (vCJD) are not the same disease. Both are prion diseases. However, variant CJD is tied to eating meat from cows infected with bovine spongiform encephalopathy (sometimes called Mad Cow Disease). CJD in humans, sometimes called “classic CJD” to avoid confusion, mostly occurs sporadically. Unlike variant CJD, classic CJD is not transmitted through an animal form of prion disease.
In general, classic CJD affects people older than 55 while vCJD cases were younger, with an average age of 28. Classic CJD progresses much more quickly, causing death in an average of 4-
5 months, while vCJD averages more than a year. There have been no known cases of variant CJD acquired in the United States.
3). Where is the best place to look to participate in a clinical trial for CJD?
For information about participating in clinical research, visit NIH Clinical Research Trials and You. Learn about clinical trials currently looking for people with CJD at ClinicalTrials.gov, a searchable database of current and past clinical studies and research results.
Scientists are conducting biochemical analyses of brain tissue, blood, spinal fluid, urine, and serum to help determine the nature of the transmissible agent or agents causing CJD. To help with this research, they’re seeking biopsy and autopsy tissue, blood, and cerebrospinal fluid from individuals with CJD and related diseases. The National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center collects this type of material: Case Western Reserve University National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center 216-368-0587 cjdsurveillance@uhhospitals.org.
This content was originally posted on the WDTV News website here.
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