Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in India (1971-1990).

Thirty cases including 20 definite and 10 probable cases of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) seen in India between 1971 and 1990 are reported. Demographic analysis has shown similarities to the previously published reports from other parts of the world. Though 21 (70%) of cases were from two centers--Bombay and Bangalore-, suggesting clustering, this seems to be more apparent than real. One subject worked in the medical field, where possibility of iatrogenic transmission could not be ruled out. None of the cases had positive family history of CJD. There is no epidemiological data of CJD from India so far and hence this report is one such pilot study.