Watson N, Kirby J, Kurudzhu H, Leitch M, MacKenzie J, Smith-Bathgate B, Smith C, Summers D, Green A, Pal S. The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Surveillance and Patient Care in the United Kingdom.
Eur J Neurol 2021;
29:1222-1226. [PMID:
34941016 PMCID:
PMC9305926 DOI:
10.1111/ene.15228]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2021] [Accepted: 11/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Background and purpose
Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease (CJD) is lethal and transmissible. We assessed the impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on UK CJD surveillance. We hypothesized that (i) disruptions prolonged diagnostic latency; (ii) autopsy rates declined; and (iii) COVID‐19 infection negatively affected diagnosis, care, and survival.
Methods
We retrospectively investigated the first year of the pandemic, using the preceding year as a comparator, quantifying numbers of individuals assessed by the UK National CJD Research & Surveillance Unit for suspected CJD, time to diagnosis, disease duration, and autopsy rates. We evaluated the impact of COVID‐19 status on diagnosis, care, and survival in CJD.
Results
A total of 148 individuals were diagnosed with CJD in the pandemic (from a total of 166 individuals assessed) compared to 141 in the comparator (from 145 assessed). No differences were identified in disease duration or time to diagnosis. Autopsy rates were unchanged. Twenty individuals had COVID‐19; 60% were symptomatic, and 10% had severe disease. Disruptions in diagnosis and care were frequently identified. Forty percent of COVID‐19‐positive individuals died; however, COVID‐19 status did not significantly alter survival duration in CJD.
Conclusions
The COVID‐19 pandemic has not impacted UK CJD case ascertainment or survival, but diagnostic evaluation and clinical care of individuals have been affected.
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