Wilson’s Disease Causes Copper Toxicity Liver Disease, Nerve Damage Symptoms

Ordinarily, dietary copper is absorbed and used in advancing healthy nerves, bones, collagen and skin pigmentation. Any copper leftover is excreted via your bile.

However, if you inherited Wilson’s disease genetic mutation, then copper isn’t eliminated efficiently.  Thus causing a toxic accumulation of copper in your body’s tissue and vital organs.

If left untreated, Wilson’s disease can be fatal because too much copper causes tissue damage, scarring and death.  The two most dangerous consequences of unhealthy copper toxicity being liver disease and nerve damage.

Wilson’s disease is rare and can go undetected for years.  But very often, the first sign of copper toxicity deposit is a distinct golden ring encircling the colored part of your eye, known as Kayser-Fleischer ring.

Other symptoms indicating copper accumulation toxicity are:

Women suffering from Wilson’s disease may endure menstrual irregularities, amenorrhea, infertility or multiple miscarriages.

As Wilson’s disease progresses, you may experience liver disease and copper caused malfunctioning symptoms:

Once your copper toxicity starts causing nerve damage, some of these symptoms may come into fruition:

The symptoms of Wilson’s disease vary, so keep your eyes open for that golden ring of copper. It may also increase your risk of bone fractures, serious infections and kidney function impairment.

The goal of Wilson’s disease treatment is to remove your excess copper and to prevent future toxicity. Your health care professional will likely start you on drugs that remove the copper build-up from your body.

Once your potentially fatal copper is excised, a lifetime of zinc therapy prevents it from stacking up again by blocking its absorption.

With proper treatment, your disease progression is stopped and symptoms should improve. Yet, some liver and nerve damage may not completely reverse. A severely diseased liver may required a liver transplant.

Along with your drug therapy, vitamin B6 supplements may be prescribed and dietary related precautions may be recommended.  Expect to be instructed to avoid consuming these high in copper foods:

  • liver
  • nuts
  • shellfish
  • avocados
  • dried fruit
  • mushrooms
  • bran products
  • chocolate ~ bummer
  • dried peas, beans, lentils

In addition, it may be suggested that you drink distilled instead of tap water, not cook with copper utensils and refrain from taking vitamin or mineral supplements containing copper.

Take a peek at Wilson’s Disease Association website for further information.

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