Rapidly progressive dementia (RPD) is an umbrella term covering many devastating conditions, including Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD). In this test-specific episode of the "Answers From the Lab" podcast, Gregg Day, M.D., explains how Mayo Clinic Laboratories' unique RPD evaluation and new CJD test guide diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment decisions.

"The biggest challenge we face when we see a patient with rapidly progressive dementia is, what is the cause?" Dr. Days says. "Ordering the RPD panel — which includes Alzheimer's disease biomarkers, CJD-specific markers, and combinations of those ratios that can help discriminate between those two — is a really good start."

The RPD panel is especially appropriate for dementia cases that have faster onset than Alzheimer's disease but don't appear to be typical CJD. "The CJD panel can be ordered alone if clinicians are confident a patient meets the criteria for possible or probable CJD," Dr. Day says.

For patients with suspected autoimmune dementia, Mayo Clinic Laboratories offers testing in serum (Mayo ID: DMS2) and cerebrospinal fluid (Mayo ID: DMC2). "That's another very important set of tests to consider for patients with rapidly progressive dementia," Dr. Day says.

Listen to learn more about Mayo Clinic Laboratories' RPD and CJD evaluations.

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Testing

RPDE    | Rapidly Progressive Dementia Evaluation, Spinal Fluid

CJDE    | Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Evaluation, Spinal Fluid

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