Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease: First Cases Reported In The Brazilian Amazon

Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease: First Cases Reported In The Brazilian Amazon

Resumen

Objective: report three cases of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in the Amazon’s interior, demonstrate the evolution of the clinical picture and diagnosis of the disease, study the relationship between COVID-19 and the triggering or acceleration of the prion disease and analyze the difficulties for diagnosis. Methods: a series of cases composed of three patients with a condition compatible with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, where two of them were infected by the coronavirus. It is an observational and descriptive study and the data were collected from the medical records. Results: all three patients had an expected clinical picture for the condition, characterized by myoclonus and neurological decline in several functions, especially cognitive, behavioral, and cerebellar. Two of them had COVID-19, but it is unsure whether there is a relation between it and the triggering or an accelerated progression of the prion disease. In this study, all patients died from sepsis secondary to pneumonia within an interval of 3 to 9 months. Conclusion: The dissemination of knowledge about Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and professional capacity may be relevant for a more assertive diagnosis in remote places such as the Amazon and its relationship with COVID-19 needs to be better elucidated.