SEOUL, Nov. 29 (Yonhap) -- A South Korean woman died of brain-wasting Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in July this year, becoming the first confirmed victim of the terminal disorder in the country, health authorities said Tuesday.

   The 54-year-old was diagnosed with iatrogenic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (iCJD) after her death and is believed to have been infected during a subdural transplant surgery some 23 years ago, according to the Center for Disease Control (KCDC) and Prof. Kim Yun-joon, a professor at Hallym University's collage of medicine.

   Kim determined that brain tissue from a cow used in the surgery to treat tumor growth infected her with the degenerative neurological disorder.

   Some 400 iCJD cases have so far been reported in 20 countries. This form of the ailment is usually transmitted by humans through operations and leaves the brain with holes that resemble a sponge.

   "A detailed analysis of her brain showed the development of defective prion proteins," Kim said. "A tissue graft product called the Lyodura used in the operation may have been contaminated."

   This form of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease has an incubation period of over 20 years but once symptoms occur, death usually takes place within a year with most victims being 55 to 65 years of age.

   The deceased, whose identity has not been made public, started to complain of paralysis in the face in 2010, according to Kim.

   CJD is the most common of human prion diseases with one person in every 1 million diagnosed each year worldwide. It is an invariably fatal illness with death occurring after the rapid onset of dementia, hallucinations, coordination dysfunction and seizures.

   Related to the latest confirmation, the KCDC said it is tracking all Lyodura used around 1987 and checking people that received it in surgery. However, it said, the screening process may take considerable time since all related medical records need to be examined.

   In addition, there may be a need to regulate the widespread harvesting of brain tissue from the deceased to make certain that this type of disease does not spread, the center said.

   Both human and animal brain tissue are used in many types of surgery to treat neurological disorders.

   yonngong@yna.co.kr
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