Creutzfeld-Jacob Disease (CJD)

The Health Protection Agency has issued advice that patients about to undergo any surgical procedure should be asked whether they have ever been advised that they are at increased risk of contracting CJD. In addition, patients about to undergo surgery on the retina, choroid, posterior hyaloid or optic nerve should be asked a number of questions to ascertain whether they are at increased risk of Creutzfeld-Jacob Disease (CJD) or variant CJD (vCJD), in order to minimise the risk of surgical transmission of prion disease.

Specifically, they should be asked whether:

1. There is a family history of CJD or other prion disease

2. they have received growth hormone or gonadotrophin treatment in the past

3. they have a history of brain or spinal cord surgery

4. they have received large or repeated blood or blood product transfusions (>50 units or >20 occasions).

If the answer to all these questions is "No", surgery may proceed as normal. If the answer to any of these questions is "Yes", it will be necessary to make further enquiries. Guidance on what further action should be taken in this case can be found at:

http://www.dh.gov.uk/ab/ACDP/TSEguidance/index.htm then follow the link to Annex J (Assessment to be carried out before surgery or endoscopy)

Page updated: Friday 21st August, 2009 (SAD)