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Short report
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease 38 years after diagnostic use of human growth hormone
  1. E A Croes1,
  2. G Roks1,*,
  3. G H Jansen3,
  4. P C G Nijssen2,
  5. C M van Duijn1
  1. 1Genetic Epidemiology Unit, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Erasmus University Medical Centre Rotterdam, PO Box 1738, 3000 DR Rotterdam, Netherlands
  2. 2Department of Neurology, St Elisabeth Hospital, PO Box 90151, 5000 LC Tilburg, Netherlands
  3. 3Department of Pathology, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Heidelberglaan 100, 3584 CX Utrecht, Netherlands
  1. Correspondence to:
 Professor C M van Duijn, Genetic Epidemiology Unit, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Erasmus University Medical Centre Rotterdam, PO Box 1738, 3000 DR Rotterdam, Netherlands;
 vanduijn{at}epib.fgg.eur.nl

Abstract

A 47 year old man is described who developed pathology proven Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) 38 years after receiving a low dose of human derived growth hormone (hGH) as part of a diagnostic procedure. The patient presented with a cerebellar syndrome, which is compatible with iatrogenic CJD. This is the longest incubation period described so far for iatrogenic CJD. Furthermore, this is the first report of CJD after diagnostic use of hGH. Since the patient was one of the first in the world to receive hGH, other cases of iatrogenic CJD can be expected in the coming years.

  • Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease
  • iatrogenic disease
  • human growth hormone
  • incubation period
  • CJD, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease
  • EEG, electroencephalographic
  • hGH, human growth hormone

https://doi.org/10.1136/jnnp.72.6.792

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    Footnotes

    • ↵* Also the Department of Neurology, St Elisabeth Hospital

    • Competing interests: none declared