How does one assess the Creutzfeldt-Jakob?

Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease is very difficult to diagnose, particularly in the early stages.There are no tests that can diagnose this disease in a living person. The only way to definitively confirm CJD is to perform a brain biopsy or examination of brain tissue after death during autopsy. However, physicians often conduct a detailed medical history and a battery of tests to try to diagnose this disease. The following steps can be taken:

A detailed medical file which will allow the doctor to know when the signs and symptoms of the disease began, the duration of CJD is short.
The CT scan produces a picture of the brain and can also be used to diagnose other diseases.

MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) also provides a photograph of the brain. It helps to distinguish sporadic CJD from variant CJD. It can also be used to detect other diseases.

Lumbar puncture can collect cerebrospinal fluid and examine it to exclude other possible brain infections. One of these tests is called test for protein 14-3-3. If this test proves positive, it means there was some brain cell death, but this is not necessarily due to CJD.

The EEG (electroencephalogram) measures the electrical activity of the brain. Sometimes, a particular pattern that appears on the EEG can help diagnose CJD.
A blood test is sometimes used to eliminate other diseases and to establish the possibility of the genetic form of CJD. For a list of genetic counselors in Canada, visit the website of the Canadian Association of Genetic Counsellors (English only).

The brain autopsy is the only way to confirm CJD through examination of brain tissue under a microscope after the death. The brain autopsies are performed only in some major hospitals in Canada. The surveillance of CJD (see information at the end of this leaflet) can help coordinate a brain autopsy in cases of suspected CJD, and subject to the consent of next of kin.