Sporadic Jakob-Creutzfeldt Disease: A Diagnostic Challenge in Low-Income Countries

Jakob-Creutzfeldt disease (JCD) is a fatal degenerative brain disorder caused by prion proteins. This condition belongs to the group of transmissible spongiform encephalopathies affecting people worldwide, with an incidence of 1 case per million per year. Due to the heterogeneity of symptoms and signs, prion diseases are considered a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge, due to the nonspecificity of the clinical presentation. We present three cases initially diagnosed with other conditions, subsequently establishing the definitive diagnosis of JCD. Next, a state-of-the-art review regarding this disorder will be carried out, and its implications in differential diagnosis and epidemiological surveillance.