Canadian Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease incidence remained stable during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic

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Introduction: Healthcare disruptions imposed by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic and possible biological links between SARS-CoV-2 and prion misfolding might influence the prevalence or characteristics of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD). This report investigates the potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Canadian CJD diagnostics and surveillance from 2016-2025. Methods: Canada-wide CJD diagnostic findings from end-point quaking induced conversion (EP-QuIC) cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) assays were compared across three periods: pre- (2016-01-29 - 2020-02-28), during (2020-03-01 - 2022-09-30), and post-COVID-19 (2022-10-01 - 2025-09-29). Presented are incidence rates and distributions of biomarker abundances, case demographics, CJD molecular subtypes, and disease durations. Results: While EP-QuIC test submissions increased during the pandemic, CJD incidence was unaltered and not associated with SARS-CoV-2 incidence. Demographics, disease durations, and molecular subtypes of sporadic CJD (sCJD) were largely consistent across periods, although a higher proportion of females were tested during COVID and the prevalence of sCJD MV1 declined post-COVID. Conclusion: CJD prevalence and characteristics remained stable during COVID-19 despite increased EP-QuIC test submissions. These findings verify that CJD surveillance in Canada remained vigilant during the pandemic and highlight the value of EP-QuIC CSF testing for comprehensive CJD monitoring.

Ce résumé expose les affirmations des auteurs. BNTIC ne l’interprète pas comme une validation indépendante des résultats.