More information on Wilson's disease  causes of Wilson's disease symptoms of Wilson's disease diagnosis of Wilson's disease treatment for Wilson's disease Articles in liver diseases - cirrhosis of the liver hemochromatosis primary sclerosing cholangitis primary biliary cirrhosis alagille syndrome alpha1-antitrypsin deficiency Crigler-Najjar syndrome hepatitis fatty liver liver transplant Wilson's disease ascites cholestasis jaundice liver encephalopathy liver failure portal hypertension |
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What causes Wilson's disease?
Wilson's disease is an inherited disorder, passed in families as a recessive trait (meaning that an individual must receive a defective gene from both his or her mother and father in order to actually have symptoms of the disease). The gene defect is believed to result in an abnormal protein within liver cells that binds to copper, retaining it in the liver. Patients with Wilson's disease also frequently have decreased amounts of a protein, called ceruloplasmin, that carries copper through the bloodstream. Body copper levels are mainly controlled by the liver by excreting (getting rid of) excess copper mostly in the bile. In Wilson's disease this process fails, causing copper to build up in the body. This mainly damages the liver but can also affect other organs, especially the brain. |
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More information on Wilson's disease
What is Wilson's disease? - Wilson's disease is an inherited disorder in which excessive amounts of copper accumulate in the body. The overload can cause severe liver and brain damage if not treated with medication.
What causes Wilson's disease? - Wilson's disease is a genetically inherited metabolic defect in humans that is due to a deficiency of ceruloplasmin, resulting in an increase in the level of Cu in the brain and liver.
What're the symptoms of Wilson's disease? - Wilson's disease causes swelling and tenderness of the liver, sometimes with fever, mimicking more common disorders.
How is Wilson's disease diagnosed? - The diagnosis of Wilson's disease can usually be made by a combination of blood tests, urine tests, eye test and liver biopsy.
What's the treatment for Wilson's disease? - Treatment of Wilson's disease generally consists of anti-copper agents to remove excess copper from the body and to prevent it from re-accumulating. |
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