What Is CJD?
3. Causes
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease is caused by prions. Prions are a type of protein that are misshapen and, when they come into contact with other proteins that are found in the brain, they can cause those proteins to become misshapen also. This will then begin to alter the structure of the affected brain.
The alteration of the shape of the proteins in this way causes ‘spongy’ holes to form in the brain. This, in turn, impacts the brain’s ability to perform as well as it should do. There are a number of ways that CJD can be transmitted, but very few people are every likely to be exposed to the disease.
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