Sporadic Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease presenting as a stroke mimic

Abstract

Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease is a rare neurodegenerative disease in which there is an abnormal accumulation of prion protein. It occurs with an incidence of approximately 1 per million per year. Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease occurs in approximately 85% of cases, with familial, variant and iatrogenic forms less common. Typically sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease presents with a rapidly progressive dementia, but sub-variants include the Heidenhain and Oppenheimer-Brownell variants. The former presents with visual disturbance and the latter with ataxia. This article describes a 75-year-old man with a Heidenhain variant of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease who presented with a sudden onset of homonymous hemianopia mimicking a stroke.