Complications
Dysphagia is an expected occurrence with any progressive neurodegenerative condition, and almost all Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) patients succumb to aspiration pneumonia.
Caretakers should be instructed to position patients at a 90-degree angle when drinking and eating meals, and patients should avoid tilting their heads backward, keeping their chins toward their chests when swallowing.
Diets should be dysphagia-appropriate, using thickened liquids and pureed foods. When coughing and choking during meals become more frequent, families should be educated about alternative feeding options (i.e., percutaneous enterogastric tube) if they are interested in artificially prolonging life. Most experts recommend not pursuing such options when CJD patients can no longer take food or liquid by mouth.
Decreased mobility increases the risks of deep vein thrombosis and subsequent pulmonary embolism.
When performing chest CT scans in patients with suspected Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) (to rule out other conditions as potential causes of the rapid dementia), it is not uncommon to find incidental pulmonary emboli in patients with decreased mobility.
Depending on the expected survival, a vena cava filter may be placed; anticoagulation is generally not considered in patients with CJD due to the risk of falls and for quality-of-life reasons.
Decreased mobility increases the risks of deep vein thrombosis and subsequent pulmonary embolism.
When performing chest CT scans in patients with suspected Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) (to rule out other conditions as potential causes of the rapid dementia), it is not uncommon to find incidental pulmonary emboli in patients with decreased mobility.
Depending on the expected survival, a vena cava filter may be placed; anticoagulation is generally not considered in patients with CJD due to the risk of falls and for quality-of-life reasons.
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is a rapidly evolving entity that generally ends fatally before constipation develops. Most patients who develop this complication do so from prolonged bed-bound status.
Diagnosis and treatment in CJD does not deviate from the standard diagnosis and treatment in the general population.
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is a rapidly evolving entity that generally ends fatally before bowel obstruction develops. Most patients who develop this complication do so from prolonged bed-bound status.
Diagnosis and treatment in CJD does not deviate from the standard diagnosis and treatment in the general population.
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is a rapidly evolving entity that generally ends fatally before bowel obstruction develops. Most patients who develop this complication do so from prolonged bed-bound status.
Diagnosis and treatment in CJD does not deviate from the standard diagnosis and treatment in the general population.
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is a rapidly evolving entity that generally ends fatally before pressure ulcer develops. Most patients who develop this complication do so from prolonged bed-bound status.
Diagnosis and treatment in CJD does not deviate from the standard diagnosis and treatment in the general population.
Patients with later stages of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease are particularly susceptible to urinary tract infections (UTIs). Physicians should treat UTIs pharmacologically through antibiotics and encourage fluid intake.
Reinforcing the importance of proper hygiene and frequent diaper changes is also recommended.
If the patient is having difficulty urinating (i.e., residual volumes are consistently significant) other measures, such as catheterization, may be considered.
Patients with later stages of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease are particularly susceptible to urinary tract infections (UTIs). Physicians should treat UTIs pharmacologically through antibiotics and encourage fluid intake.
Reinforcing the importance of proper hygiene and frequent diaper changes is also recommended.
If the patient is having difficulty urinating (i.e., residual volumes are consistently significant), other measures, such as catheterization, may be considered.
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