Wilson’s disease is a rare genetic disease, caused by the body’s inability to metabolize copper, causing copper to build up in the brain, kidneys, liver and eyes, causing poisoning in humans.
This disease is hereditary, i.e. it passes from parents to children, but is not usually discovered until between the age of 5 and 6, when the child begins to develop the first symptoms of ‘copper poisoning’.
- Wilson’s disease has no cure.
- However.
- There are medications and procedures that can help reduce copper buildup in the body and symptoms of the disease.
Symptoms of Wilson’s disease usually appear from the age of 5 and occur by depositing copper in various parts of the body, mainly brain, liver, cornea and kidneys, the main ones being:
Another common feature of Wilson’s disease is the appearance of red or browning rings on the eyes, called a sign of kayser-Fleischer, the result of copper buildup there; it is also common in this disease to present copper crystals in the kidneys, resulting in the formation of kidney stones.
Diagnosis of Wilson’s disease is made by a doctor’s assessment of symptoms and the results of some laboratory tests. The most requested tests confirming the diagnosis of Wilson’s disease are 24-hour urine, in which a high concentration of copper is observed, and the measurement of ceruloplasmin in the blood, which is a protein produced by the liver and normally related to copper, has a function.For example, in the case of Wilson’s disease, ceruloplasmin is in low concentrations.
In addition to these tests, your doctor may order a liver biopsy, which shows cirrhosis or fatty liver characteristics.
Treatment of Wilson’s disease aims to reduce the amount of copper accumulated in the body and improve symptoms of the disease.There are medications patients can take because they join copper, helping to eliminate it through the intestines and kidneys, such as penicillin, melamine triethylene, zinc acetate and vitamin E supplements, for example.
In addition, it is important to avoid eating copper-based foods, such as chocolates, nuts, liver, shellfish, mushrooms and nuts, for example.
In more severe cases, especially in cases of major liver damage, your doctor may tell you to have a liver transplant.Find out what recovery looks like after a liver transplant.