Creutzfeldt-Jakob's disease: case report with emphasis on the electroencephalographic features

RESUMO

Creutzfeld-Jakob's disease is a rare neurodegenerative disorder that is included among the transmissible spongiform encephalopathies. The clinical features are those of a rapid progressive dementia with mioclonic jerks, which pregoresses to death is less than one year. We report the case of a 79 years old woman, with initial complaints of vertigo, visual and gait compromise, with an initial brain MR1, EEG and CSF tha had no specific features of CID. After 12 days she was again admitted to the hospital with a worsening of her symptoms, along with global spasticity, inability to walk and a further deterioration of speech and swallowing. A new EEG disclosed periodic triphasic complexes, typical of the disease. CSF had a positive 14-3-3 protein. Sha later evolved with mioclonic jerks, coma, multiple infectius complications and, ultimately death 45 days after her second admission. We focus on the role of the EEG as an adjuctive eletrophysiological tool for the presumptive in vivo diagnosis of the disease