JAMA
Creutzfeldt-Jakob
disease (CJD) is the most common transmissible spongiform encephalopathy
in humans. From 1979 through 1998, 4751 deaths due to CJD were
REPORTED in the United States.
The average
annual age-adjusted death rate was 0.97 deaths per million persons,
ranging from 0.78 in 1980 to 1.13 in 1997. The overall annual
rates have been relatively stable since 1985 (P = .64, linear
regression analysis).
The median
age at death was 68 years. Ten CJD decedents were younger than
30 years, including 3 who died during the period of the nvCJD
epidemic in the United Kingdom (1995-1998). Neuropathologic evaluation
of 2 of these 3 patients ruled out nvCJD; the third patient had
iatrogenic CJD associated with receipt of human growth hormone.
Full Story:
http://jama.ama-assn.org/issues/v284n18/ffull/jlt1108-6.html
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