Clinical features in 8 patients of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease with positive real-time quaking-induced conversion / 中华神经科杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective:To report 8 patients of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) with real-time quaking-induced conversion (RT-QuIC) positive and analyze their clinical characteristics.Methods:The medical records of patients discharged from Henan Provincial People′s Hospital from January 2018 to May 2021 who were diagnosed with clinically probable sCJD and had RT-QuIC test were retrospectively analyzed. General information (gender, age, initial symptom, main clinical manifestations), accessory examination [brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), electroencephalogram, cerebrospinal fluid 14-3-3 protein, prion protein gene, antibodies related to autoimmune encephalitis and paraneoplastic syndrome] were collected. By a telephone-based follow-up survey, data about morality and total duration of course were collected. The patients were divided into two groups according to electroencephalogram, 14-3-3 protein, duration of disease and MRI results, and the differences of fluorescence peak time and fluorescence peak value in RT-QuIC results between groups were compared.Results:Among 8 patients, 7 patients had subacute onset and 1 patient had chronic onset. Main clinical manifestations included progressive cognitive decline (8/8), pyramid sign (5/8), walking instability (4/8), mental and behavior disorder (4/8), myoclonus (4/8), akinetic mutism (4/8), dizziness (3/8), limb shaking (2/8), dysarthria (2/8), visual hallucination (1/8), impaired vision (1/8). All cases had abnormal electroencephalogram and typical periodic sharp slow compound waves (PSWCs) were observed in 5 cases. Brain MRI showed high signal intensity in the cerebral cortex and/or basal ganglia on diffusion-weighted imaging in 7 cases, of which 6 cases involved bilateral basal ganglia. Cerebrospinal fluid 14-3-3 protein was positive in 2 cases, and RT-QuIC was positive in all cases. The fluorescence peak time of RT-QuIC was shorter in patients with PSWCs [(7.617±2.164) h vs (10.602±2.247) h, t=2.84, P=0.010] and high total MRI score [ (7.600±1.907) h vs (9.760±2.457) h, t=2.26, P=0.032]. Conclusions:RT-QuIC detection is a reliable method for early diagnosis of sCJD. RT-QuIC results were related to PSWCs and degree of MRI involvement.