An Evaluation of Rapidly Progressive Dementia Culminating in a Diagnosis of Creutzfeldt–Jakob Disease
Rapidly progressive dementia is a curious and elusive clinical description of a pattern of cognitive deficits that progresses faster than typical dementia syndromes. The differential diagnosis and clinical workup for rapidly progressive dementia are quite extensive and involve searching for infectio...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2018-01-01
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| Series: | Case Reports in Infectious Diseases |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2018/2374179 |
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| author | Parmvir Parmar Curtis L. Cooper Daniel Kobewka |
| author_facet | Parmvir Parmar Curtis L. Cooper Daniel Kobewka |
| author_sort | Parmvir Parmar |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Rapidly progressive dementia is a curious and elusive clinical description of a pattern of cognitive deficits that progresses faster than typical dementia syndromes. The differential diagnosis and clinical workup for rapidly progressive dementia are quite extensive and involve searching for infectious, inflammatory, autoimmune, neoplastic, metabolic, and neurodegenerative causes. We present the case of a previously highly functional 76-year-old individual who presented with a 6-month history of rapidly progressive dementia. His most prominent symptoms were cognitive impairment, aphasia, visual hallucinations, and ataxia. Following an extensive battery of tests in hospital, the differential diagnosis remained probable CJD versus autoimmune encephalitis. He clinically deteriorated and progressed to akinetic mutism and myoclonus. He passed away 8 weeks after his initial presentation to hospital, and an autopsy confirmed a diagnosis of sporadic CJD. We use this illustrative case as a framework to discuss the clinical and diagnostic considerations in the workup for rapidly progressive dementia. We also discuss CJD and autoimmune encephalitis, the two main diagnostic possibilities in our patient, in more detail. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-4929a87dc80446b5a541797b4e47f31d |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2090-6625 2090-6633 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2018-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Case Reports in Infectious Diseases |
| spelling | doaj-art-4929a87dc80446b5a541797b4e47f31d2025-08-20T03:36:48ZengWileyCase Reports in Infectious Diseases2090-66252090-66332018-01-01201810.1155/2018/23741792374179An Evaluation of Rapidly Progressive Dementia Culminating in a Diagnosis of Creutzfeldt–Jakob DiseaseParmvir Parmar0Curtis L. Cooper1Daniel Kobewka2Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, CanadaFaculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, CanadaFaculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, CanadaRapidly progressive dementia is a curious and elusive clinical description of a pattern of cognitive deficits that progresses faster than typical dementia syndromes. The differential diagnosis and clinical workup for rapidly progressive dementia are quite extensive and involve searching for infectious, inflammatory, autoimmune, neoplastic, metabolic, and neurodegenerative causes. We present the case of a previously highly functional 76-year-old individual who presented with a 6-month history of rapidly progressive dementia. His most prominent symptoms were cognitive impairment, aphasia, visual hallucinations, and ataxia. Following an extensive battery of tests in hospital, the differential diagnosis remained probable CJD versus autoimmune encephalitis. He clinically deteriorated and progressed to akinetic mutism and myoclonus. He passed away 8 weeks after his initial presentation to hospital, and an autopsy confirmed a diagnosis of sporadic CJD. We use this illustrative case as a framework to discuss the clinical and diagnostic considerations in the workup for rapidly progressive dementia. We also discuss CJD and autoimmune encephalitis, the two main diagnostic possibilities in our patient, in more detail.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2018/2374179 |
| spellingShingle | Parmvir Parmar Curtis L. Cooper Daniel Kobewka An Evaluation of Rapidly Progressive Dementia Culminating in a Diagnosis of Creutzfeldt–Jakob Disease Case Reports in Infectious Diseases |
| title | An Evaluation of Rapidly Progressive Dementia Culminating in a Diagnosis of Creutzfeldt–Jakob Disease |
| title_full | An Evaluation of Rapidly Progressive Dementia Culminating in a Diagnosis of Creutzfeldt–Jakob Disease |
| title_fullStr | An Evaluation of Rapidly Progressive Dementia Culminating in a Diagnosis of Creutzfeldt–Jakob Disease |
| title_full_unstemmed | An Evaluation of Rapidly Progressive Dementia Culminating in a Diagnosis of Creutzfeldt–Jakob Disease |
| title_short | An Evaluation of Rapidly Progressive Dementia Culminating in a Diagnosis of Creutzfeldt–Jakob Disease |
| title_sort | evaluation of rapidly progressive dementia culminating in a diagnosis of creutzfeldt jakob disease |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2018/2374179 |
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