A CASE-CONTROL STUDY OF CREUTZFELDT-JAKOB DISEASE

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
The mode of natural transmission of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease remains unknown. In a case-control study conducted in 1981–1983 to evaluate possible dietary and other sources of the disease, 26 cases were ascertained in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States, 23 of which were obtained from accumulated records of the Laboratory of Central Nervous System Studies of the National Institutes of Health. Controls included 18 family members and 22 hospital-matched individuals (total sample size, 66). An increased consumption among patients was found for roast pork, ham, hot dogs (ppp< 0.01) and raw oysters/dams (pp<0.1) among the cases. If Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease is acquired through ingestion of foods containing the agent, then the food items identified may be among those which need to be evaluated more intensively. Larger case-control studies with more focused dietary questions are warranted.