Cheyne-Stokes respiration appeared in an early stage of the disease in a patient with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease

Abstract

A 77-year-old female developed vertigo and dysarthria. Two months later, she was hospitalized with disorientation and ataxia. CSF showed increased levels of NSE, 14-3-3 protein and tau. EEG demonstrated periodic synchronous discharges (PSD). Brain MRI showed abnormal high intensity areas in the cerebral cortices, especially in the occipital lobes, putamen and caudate nucleus bilaterally, on DWI. Genetical analysis of prion protein revealed no specific mutation. She was diagnosed as having sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). Cheyne-Stokes respiration (CSR) had been observed since an early stage, and decreased 5 months later coincident with attenuation of myoclonus and PSD. We should also pay attention to CSR in the diagnosis of CJD, although the complication is rare.