title: Dietary Risk Factors for Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease: A Confirmatory Case-Control Study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study's primary purpose was to determine whether earlier findings suggesting an association between sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD), a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy of humans and specific dietary components could be replicated. Thea priorihypotheses were that consumption of (i) foods likely to contain organ tissue and (ii) raw/rare meat are associated with increased sCJD risk.
  
  
  METHODS
  Population-based case-control study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA, USA; 4 years.
  
  
  METHODS
  An 11-state case-control study of pathologically confirmed, definite sCJD cases, matched controls, and a sample of control-surrogates was conducted. Ninety-six percent (106/110) of the case data was obtained in 1991-1993, prior to variant CJD publicity.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Using control self-responses, consumption of hot dogs, sausage, pepperoni, kielbasa, "other" canned meat, poultry liver, any stomach/intestine, beef stomach/intestine, any organ tissue, and beef organ tissue was individually associated with increased sCJD risk; odds ratios (OR) ranged from 2.4 to 7.2 (0.003 <p<0.025). Rare/raw meat consumption was associated with sCJD (OR=2.0;p<0.05). Greater consumption of hot dogs, bologna, salami, sausage, pepperoni and kielbasa was associated with significantly higher risk. The OR for gizzard consumption was 7.6,p<0.04. Bologna, salami, any liver, beef liver and pork stomach/intestine were marginally associated with sCJD: ORs ranged from 1.7 to 3.7; 0.05 <p< 0.10. Brain consumption was not associated with an elevated risk. Analyses using control-surrogate data indicate that use of the control self-responses did not bias the results away from the null hypothesis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Thea priorihypotheses were supported. Consumption of various meat products may be one method of transmission of the infectious agent for sCJD.
authors: Department of Neurology, Loma Linda University School of Medicine, Loma Linda, CA, USA.
authors: Zoreh
authors: Z
authors: Davanipour
authors: Department of Neurology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA ; Department of Preventive Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
authors: Eugene
authors: E
authors: Sobel
authors: Department of Preventive Medicine, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
authors: Argyrios
authors: A
authors: Ziogas
authors: Department of Neurology, Loma Linda University School of Medicine, Loma Linda, CA, USA.
authors: Carey
authors: C
authors: Smoak
authors: Department of Neurology, Loma Linda University School of Medicine, Loma Linda, CA, USA.
authors: Thomas
authors: T
authors: Bohr
authors: Department of Internal Medicine, Loma Linda University School of Medicine, Loma Linda, CA, USA.
authors: Keith
authors: K
authors: Doram
authors: Department of Pathology, Loma Linda University School of Medicine, Loma Linda, CA, USA.
authors: Boleslaw
authors: B
authors: Liwnicz
keywords: Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease; confirmatory case-control study; dietary risk factors; neuroepidemiology; prion diseases