Woman who may have had rare brain disease dies in Portsmouth

PORTSMOUTH

A 22-year-old woman who may have had a rare degenerative brain disorder that has been linked to eating beef from cattle infected with mad cow disease has died.

A nursing supervisor said the woman, who had been unconscious at Bon Secours Maryview Medical Center, passed away about 5:30 p.m. Wednesday.

The state health department said earlier this week that it was investigating the case, looking to see if the woman had any of a range of neurological disorders.

One possibility is a variant of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, known as vCJD, a rare degenerative brain disorder that has been linked to consumption of contaminated beef. The disease is not spread through casual contact from person to person.

There are also other forms of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, known as CJD, that are unrelated to beef consumption. State officials are looking into those as well.