Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy - Mad Cow Disease

What are the signs and symptoms of the disease?

NvCJD may take 5 to 10 years to develop after a person has been exposed to the BSE prion. It has different symptoms from the classic form of Cretuzfeldt-Jakob disease. Early in the course of the disease, the person may have psychiatric disorders and altered sensations. Later, the person can develop difficulty walking, which is called ataxia. Muscle spasms and dementia show up late in the illness. There may also be visual impairments, paralysis, and sleep disorders.