Wilson's Disease: The Effects of Copper Toxicity in the Body

F. What is the large vein that enters the liver? Where do its branches originate from?

d. The portal circulatory system brings venous blood from the GI tract into the liver.

Additionally, many chronic liver diseases can lead to cirrhosis. For example, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) can lead to cirrhosis and is associated with obesity, hyperlipidemia, metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Hereditary metabolic disorders such as hemochromatosis and Wilson disease can also lead to cirrhosis (McCance & Heuther, 2014). It seems the cause of cirrhosis is multifaceted. Additionally, many diseases can lead to cirrhosis and it is understandable why the etiology of cirrhosis has not been parsed out, especially because the cause can differ from a

Wilson’s disease can be deadly if not treated. “Many people with Wilson's appear and feel healthy; severe liver damage can occur before there are symptoms of the disease,” says Often those who have Wilson’s Disease experience liver trouble due to too much copper being deposited into the liver. The liver acts like a sort of filter, like a kidney, to protect our bodies from gaining too much copper. In some cases, a liver transplant is necessary, especially if liver failure and cirrhosis occur.3 In a normal person, copper is gained through food in small

Wilson’s disease is named for a British physician named Samuel Alexander Wilson, who as a neurologist found pathological changes in the brain that actually stemmed from problems with the liver. Later, neuropathologist John Cummings looked into the causes of the disease as well. What he found was that the cause was linked to copper, or more precisely too much copper building up in the body.

Wilson’s disease is an autosomal recessive genetic disorder, where copper is unable to be absorbed properly in the body and accumulates in tissue. This condition is known to have neurological and psychiatric symptoms, due to lesions associated with copper build up in the central nervous system, along with being associated with liver disease. It is related to a malfunction in the Wilson disease protein gene on the 13th chromosome; a copper-transporting P-type ATPase also known as ATP7B protein. I recently discovered that this disease runs in my family; both my mother and father are carriers, and unfortunately my sister is affected by Wilson’s Disease. I find this interesting because the disease is so abnormally rare that the gene

Some foods, such as chocolate, liver, nuts, mushrooms, and shellfish contain high levels of copper. Treatment for Wilson’s Disease includes to simply avoid these foods and to make such dietary changes (Ala et. al, 2007). This form of therapy is rarely used alone and accompanied by the use of medication. For patients unable to adjust to the medication or have presented severe deteriorating hepatic symptoms of Wilson’s Disease before other treatment was ever possible, a surgical orthotopic liver transplantation is often carried out if they meet the criteria as a suitable candidate. According to several studies, liver transplantation of this nature presents a phenotypic cure through a partial correction of the metabolic defect (Bellary et. al, 1995). Therefore, the survival rate for Wilson’s Disease patients who successfully undergo an orthotopic liver transplantation have a long-term survival rate of approximately eighty percent (Bellary et. al,

Copper is a very important trace element to the overall health of many living organisms. For example, humans, Plants, and animals. It is key to the function of organs and metabolic pathways. Copper is also required in enzyme systems that oversee multiple metabolic processes required in the day to day life. In the body enzymes are needed in the cellular movement of cell regulations along with signal transductions.

The liver is essential to digestion and subsequent metabolic processes. It is a plays a large part in the processing of carbohydrates and lipids. As carbohydrates are absorbed in the small intestine, they are first brought to the liver via the portal vein. Depending on the needs of the body, the liver will either store excess glucose as glycogen or breakdown glycogen to release glucose into the bloodstream. Lipids are not soluble in water and cannot be efficiently absorbed without bile produced by the liver. Bile emulsifies fats and allows lipase, an essential protease produced by the pancreas, to effectively break down complex lipids for absorption.

history for hereditary liver diseases as one might be of high risk for the disease and get

What is Wilson‘s diseases? Wilson’s disease also known as a term called hepatolenticular is basically a genetic disorder and causes copper to start accumulate in the liver, brain and other vital organs. This accumulation then causes various troubles and problems related to the organs. Copper is an essential metal for our body and it plays a key role in the development of healthy nerves, bones, and collagen.

While Wilson's disease is a very treatable condition, in about 5-10% of all patients liver transplantation is needed. In particular, liver transplantation is necessary in patients in whom the disease is diagnosed after there's been significant liver damage, those presenting with acute liver failure as a consequence of Wilson's disease, and when unexplained liver failure occurs in patients even when they've been faithfully taking their medication, often due to the presence of concurrent liver diseases. We have added a respective short paragraph on this issue.

Wilson’s disease is a condition which causes neurological symptoms such as tremors, stiffness of muscles, difficulty of speech, and psychosis, as well as physical symptoms such as oedema, jaundice, and nausea. It has been identified as an autosomal recessive genetic disorder which prevents normal excretion of copper from the body (Weiss KH, 1999).

It was first recognised as a disease in 1912 by British neurologist Samuel Alexander Kinnier Wilson, who drew on the earlier, independent works of Carl Westphal, William Gowers, and Adolph Strümpell, to identify the characteristic changes of the brain and liver (Wilson SAK, 1912). John N. Cumings subsequently identified the role of copper accumulation in the disease, as well as the haemolytic effect

Wilson's disease also called hepatolenticular degeneration is a rare recessive genetic disorder in which copper builds up in the human tissues. but occasionally a liver transplant is required.the wilson disease is in the (ATP7B) gene. 1 in 100 people have only one of the gene from one of their parents which is harmless since it’s not dominant (they are carriers). although if a child gets the gene from both parents he/she will have the Wilson's disease.The effect can be see between the ages of 6 and 20 years, Wilson's disease take place in 1 to 4 per 100,000 people. It is named after Samuel Alexander Kinnier Wilson who is a British neurologist who first described the condition in

The liver regulates the blood levels of most chemical compounds and excretes a product called bile, which helps remove waste products from the liver. All the blood leaving the stomach and intestines passes through the liver. The liver processes this blood and breaks down the nutrients and drugs in easier to use for the rest of the body forms. There are more than 500 vital functions related to the liver. Among the most