CJD

Medical abbreviation · Neurology

CJD
Stands forCreutzfeldt-Jakob disease
CategoriesMedical

CJD stands for Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, a neurology abbreviation.

Rare, fatal prion disease causing rapidly progressive dementia, jerking movements (myoclonus), ataxia and visual problems, with death usually within a year. Sporadic CJD accounts for most cases and occurs in roughly 1 to 2 people per million each year.

Example: Rapidly progressive dementia over 3 months with myoclonus; RT-QuIC positive in CSF: sporadic CJD.

Usage notes

Named for Hans Gerhard Creutzfeldt and Alfons Jakob, who described cases in the 1920s. Variant CJD (vCJD), recognized in the UK in 1996, was linked to eating beef from cattle with bovine spongiform encephalopathy ("mad cow disease"). The RT-QuIC test of spinal fluid has greatly improved diagnosis in life. Prions resist standard sterilization, so special precautions apply to surgical instruments.

More neurology abbreviations

  • AVM – Arteriovenous malformation
  • BE-FAST – Balance, Eyes, Face, Arm, Speech, Time
  • CAA – Cerebral amyloid angiopathy
  • cEEG – Continuous electroencephalography
  • CIDP – Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy
  • CIS – Clinically isolated syndrome
  • CMT – Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease
  • CP – Cerebral palsy
  • CPP – Cerebral perfusion pressure
  • CSC – Comprehensive stroke center
  • CTE – Chronic traumatic encephalopathy
  • CVA – Cerebrovascular accident

See all 131 neurology abbreviations →

Edited by the AbbreviationList.com team. Spotted an error or a missing meaning? Contact us.

This entry is for general education and is not medical advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.