The clinical neurology and epidemiology of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, with special reference to iatrogenic cases.

The clinical characteristics of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) in a newly analysed group of 223 cases transmitted to primates at the NIH are compared to a recent large series of neuropathologically verified cases in France, and the limited conclusions from worldwide epidemiological studies are briefly summarized. Discussion then focuses on iatrogenic CJD, with special attention to the interplay of clinical, laboratory and epidemiological features of the current outbreak of CJD in hypopituitary dwarfs treated with growth hormone extracted from pools of human pituitary glands.