lithium-chloride and Creutzfeldt-Jakob-Syndrome

Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) has a poor prognosis. Certain clinical presentations can be suggestive yet mimic a curable disease.. In the present study, we report the case of a 67-year-old man with a one-month history of progressive dementia, with myoclonic jerks and cerebellar syndrome suggesting a diagnosis of Creutzfeldt-Jakob encephalopathy. He had been treated for 9 years with lithium for a bipolar disorder. The results of the different investigations and the favorable course after discontinuation of lithium were in favor of the diagnosis of drug-induced Creutzfeldt-Jakob syndrome.. This case illustrates the importance for researching a curable etiology in presence of clinical features suggesting a CJD.

Topics: Aged; Antimanic Agents; Brain Diseases; Creutzfeldt-Jakob Syndrome; Diagnosis, Differential; Electroencephalography; Female; Humans; Lithium Chloride; Male; Middle Aged