2025 ICD-10-CM code A81.01
Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD). This is a rare and fatal prion disease transmitted by consuming contaminated beef products.
Medical necessity for diagnostic testing and supportive care relates to the progressive and debilitating nature of vCJD.Early identification helps in managing symptoms, providing appropriate care, and implementing necessary public health precautions to prevent further transmission.
Clinicians should consider vCJD in patients presenting with rapidly progressive neurological and psychiatric symptoms, especially if they have a history of potential exposure to BSE-contaminated beef. Diagnosis involves neurological examination, MRI, EEG, and potentially brain biopsy or autopsy.Management focuses on alleviating symptoms and providing supportive care. Public health measures are crucial for preventing transmission.
- Certain infectious and parasitic diseases (A00-B99)
- Viral and prion infections of the central nervous system (A80-A89)
In simple words: vCJD is a very rare and fatal brain disease. It's thought to be caused by eating beef from cows with "mad cow disease." Early symptoms can include mental and emotional changes, like depression and anxiety, as well as unusual painful or burning sensations.Later on, people with vCJD develop problems with movement, memory, and thinking. Sadly, there's no cure, and the disease gets worse over time, eventually leading to death.
Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) is a rare, fatal brain disease within the transmissible spongiform encephalopathy family. It is believed to be caused by consuming meat from cattle infected with bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), also known as "mad cow disease." Initial symptoms often involve psychiatric problems, behavioral changes, and painful sensations (dysesthesia). As the disease advances, individuals may experience poor coordination, dementia, involuntary movements, and visual disturbances. The time between exposure and symptom onset is unclear but thought to be years or even decades. The average life expectancy after diagnosis is approximately 13-14 months.A definitive diagnosis requires examination of brain tissue, revealing characteristic spongiform changes and prion protein deposition.
Example 1: A 40-year-old patient presents with progressive dementia, myoclonus, and ataxia.They lived in the UK during the BSE epidemic and consumed beef.MRI shows characteristic pulvinar signs, raising suspicion for vCJD., A young adult exhibits anxiety, depression, and persistent unusual sensory symptoms, followed by declining cognitive function and motor issues. The combination of psychiatric and neurological symptoms prompts investigation for vCJD., During a routine tonsillectomy, unusual protein deposits are discovered.Subsequent testing confirms the presence of prions, leading to a diagnosis of vCJD, even in the absence of overt neurological symptoms.
Documentation should include details of the patient's symptoms, including psychiatric manifestations, neurological deficits, and sensory disturbances.History of potential BSE exposure, results of neurological imaging (MRI, EEG), and if performed, findings from brain biopsy or autopsy, are crucial for accurate coding.
** Variant CJD is a prion disease, distinct from classic CJD. This distinction is essential for epidemiological surveillance and understanding the different clinical courses of these conditions.
- Specialties:Neurology, Infectious Disease, Pathology
- Place of Service:Inpatient Hospital, Outpatient Hospital,Office