Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease After the Coronavirus Disease-2019 Vaccination

Abstract

Reports of neurological problems are increasing for the clinical presentation of coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19). The clinical presentation reported in this study seemed to be a combination of nonspecific complications of the systemic disease, inflammation of the cerebrovascular system, and the effects of a direct viral infection. Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, a spongiform encephalopathy caused by prions, is characterized by a severe neurological destruction, which has an extremely high mortality. In this publication, we presented a patient who was admitted to the Pamukkale University Anesthesiology Intensive Care Units with the neurological findings that developed after the COVID-19 vaccine (CoronaVac, Sinovac Life Sciences, Beijing, China). The patient died due to the progressive neurological disorders. In cases where rapidly progressive neurological disorders are observed, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease should be considered and the role of immunity-related conditions in the progression of the disease should be investigated.

Keywords

• covid-19
• vaccine
• creutzfeldt-jakob disease
• prion protein