26320231

PMC4651736

Background

Brain tissue analysis is necessary to confirm prion diseases. Clinically unsuspected cases may be identified through neuropathologic testing.

Methods

National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center (NACC) Minimum and Neuropathologic Data Sets for 1984–2005 were reviewed. Eligible patients had dementia, underwent autopsy, had available neuropathologic data, belonged to a currently funded Alzheimer’s Disease Center (ADC), and were coded as having an Alzheimer’s disease clinical diagnosis or a non-prion disease etiology. For the eligible patients with neuropathology indicating prion disease, further clinical information, collected from the reporting ADC, determined whether prion disease was considered before autopsy.

Results

Of 6000 eligible patients in the NACC database, 7 (0.12%) were clinically unsuspected but autopsy confirmed prion disease cases.

Conclusion

The proportion of dementia patients with clinically unrecognized but autopsy confirmed prion disease was small. Besides confirming clinically suspected cases, neuropathology is useful to identify unsuspected, clinically atypical cases of prion disease.

CDC Public Access

CC999999/Intramural CDC HHS/United States
U01 AG016976/AG/NIA NIH HHS/United States