The symptoms and course of CJD differ according to the types of CJD and from person to person. However, all four types of CJD share some similar symptoms, which are outlined below.
Early stages
CJD usually starts with emotional or behavioural problems such as depression, anxiety or agitation.
Delusions (strong beliefs in things that are obviously not true) and hallucinations (seeing or hearing things that are not there) are typical of variant CJD.
Patients also develop neurological problems (affecting the nervous system), such as pain or numbness in parts of their body.
Within a few weeks, the person deteriorates rapidly, becoming confused and experiencing memory loss (symptoms typical of dementia).
Later stages
As well as experiencing confusion and memory loss, the person may lose co-ordination and balance and may start to become blind.
Months later, they are unable to walk, speak and care for themselves. They are unaware of their surroundings and usually develop jerking movements of their muscles.
Three-quarters of people with sporadic CJD die within six months of diagnosis, often from pneumonia. Others die within a few weeks. People with variant CJD live for an average of just over a year following diagnosis.
