People with Wilson's disease have the disorder from birth, but generally do not begin to experience symptoms until they are at least four years of age. Symptoms may not occur until the late teens.
Wilson's disease results in the build-up of high levels of copper in the liver. This damages and scars liver tissue, resulting in symptoms, such as abdominal pain, abdominal distention, vomiting blood, enlarged spleen, and jaundice. Left untreated, excessive copper spills out of the liver into the bloodstream and is carried to other organs in the body, such as the kidneys, nervous system, and eyes. Excessive copper damages these organs as well resulting in symptoms, such as loss of muscle control, abnormal muscle movements, tremors, poor cognitive functioning, memory loss, behavioral changes, impaired speech, and weakness.
If Wilson's disease is not diagnosed and treated promptly, it can lead to serious permanent, even life-threatening complications, such as cirrhosis of the liver, liver necrosis, severe brain damage, dementia, kidney damage, liver failure, and death....more about Wilson's Disease »
The list of signs and symptoms mentioned in various sources for Wilson's Disease includes the 84 symptoms listed below:
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Liver disease is the most common symptom in children; neurological disease is most common in young adults. The cornea of the eye can also be affected: the 'Kayser-Fleischer ring' is a deep copper-colored ring at the periphery of the cornea, and is thought to represent copper deposits. (Source: Genes and Disease by the National Center for Biotechnology)
The most characteristic sign is the Kayser-Fleischer ring--a rusty brown ring around the cornea of the eye that can be seen only through an eye exam. Other signs depend on whether the damage occurs in the liver, blood, central nervous system, urinary system, or musculoskeletal system. Many signs would be detected only by a doctor, like swelling of the liver and spleen; fluid buildup in the lining of the abdomen; anemia; low platelet and white blood cell count in the blood; high levels of amino acids, protein, uric acid, and carbohydrates in urine; and softening of the bones. Some symptoms are more obvious, like jaundice, which appears as yellowing of the eyes and skin; vomiting blood; speech and language problems; tremors in the arms and hands; and rigid muscles. (Source: excerpt from Wilson's Disease: NIDDK)
The primary consequence for approximately 40 percent of patients with Wilson's is liver disease. In other patients the first symptoms are either neurological or psychiatric or both, and include tremor, rigidity, drooling, difficulty with speech, abrupt personality change, grossly inappropriate behavior and unexplicable deterioration of school work, neurosis or psychosis. (Source: excerpt from NINDS Wilson's Disease Information Page: NINDS)
When considering symptoms of Wilson's Disease, it is also important to consider Wilson's Disease as a possible cause of other medical conditions. The Disease Database lists the following medical conditions that Wilson's Disease may cause:
For a more detailed analysis of Wilson's Disease as a symptom, including causes, drug side effect causes, and drug interaction causes, please see our Symptom Center information for Wilson's Disease.
Onset of Wilson's Disease: The onset of liver disease is usually at the age of 8-16 years.
These general reference articles may be of interest in relation to medical signs and symptoms of disease in general:
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The symptom information on this page attempts to provide a list of some possible signs and symptoms of Wilson's Disease. This signs and symptoms information for Wilson's Disease has been gathered from various sources, may not be fully accurate, and may not be the full list of Wilson's Disease signs or Wilson's Disease symptoms. Furthermore, signs and symptoms of Wilson's Disease may vary on an individual basis for each patient. Only your doctor can provide adequate diagnosis of any signs or symptoms and whether they are indeed Wilson's Disease symptoms.
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