Rinsho Shinkeigaku (Clinical Neurology)

Original Article

Disease notification and self-determination in treatment decisions for patients with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

Fumihiro Yanagimura, M.D.1), Takayoshi Shimohata, M.D., Ph.D.1), Masayoshi Tada, M.D., Ph.D.1),Hiroaki Nozaki, M.D., Ph.D.1) and Masatoyo Nishizawa, M.D., Ph.D.1)

1)Department of Neurology, Brain Research Institute, Niigata University

We investigated disease notification and self-determination in treatment decisions of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). For this purpose, we retrospectively analyzed 18 patients with CJD (sporadic:familial = 14:4) who were admitted to our hospital. The durations from symptom onset to the time of diagnosis ranged from 0.3 to 48 months (median, 2 months). The Hasegawa Dementia Scale-revised (HDS-R) range was 0 to 29 (median, 5.0); however, 4 patients (22%), including 2 with familial CJD and 2 with sporadic CJD, maintained cognitive function (HDS-R score ≥ 21). Two patients (11%), who satisfied Lo's criteria for self-determination, were given a disease notification, and both of them archived selfdetermination in treatment decisions. In conclusion, we demonstrated that patients with CJD could be given a disease notification and archive self-determination in treatment decisions upon early diagnosis using DWI.
Full Text of this Article in Japanese PDF (1385K)

(CLINICA NEUROL, 54: 298|302, 2014)
key words: Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), dementia, disease notification, self-determination

(Received: 9-Jul-13)