Maintenance zinc therapy after initial penicillamine chelation to treat symptomatic hepatic Wilson's disease in resource constrained setting.

BACKGROUND: Experience with zinc in treating symptomatic hepatic Wilson's disease (WD) is limited. AIM: To study the efficacy of Penicillamine followed by zinc in treating symptomatic hepatic Wilson's disease. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed case records of 31 symptomatic hepatic WD patients for whom disease severity scores (Child's, model for end-stage liver disease (MELD), Nazer's, and New Wilson Index (NWI) score) and 24-h urinary copper were compared at 3-time points-baseline at presentation, at transition from penicillamine to zinc and at end of follow up. RESULTS: Thirty-one patients (median age 11 [5-24] years) with symptomatic hepatic WD were studied; ten had associated neuropsychiatric manifestations of WD. Penicillamine was changed to zinc sulfate either due to financial constraints (28 patients) or due to adverse effects of penicillamine (3 patients). At presentation (baseline), six patients belonged to Child's class A, five to Child's B, and 17 to Child's C. Duration of initial penicillamine chelation therapy was 134 (2-320) weeks, and of subsequent zinc therapy was 363 (35-728) weeks. There was a significant improvement in liver function tests and disease severity scores (Child's, MELD, Nazer's, and NWI score) at the transition from penicillamine to zinc compared to baseline. This improvement was maintained until the end of study period with 90% survival at 10 (2-20) years. Fifteen of the 17 Child's C cirrhotic patients showed significant improvement in disease severity scores from baseline until end of follow up. CONCLUSIONS: Penicillamine followed by zinc may be a safe and effective treatment in resource-constrained setting for symptomatic hepatic WD patients in all grades of baseline disease severity. Some patients with decompensated cirrhosis due to WD may be managed with medical treatment, avoiding liver transplantation.

Cirrosis hepática y anemia hemolítica por enfermedad de Wilson. Presentación de un caso pediátrico / Hepatic cirrhosis and hemolytic anemia due to Wilson disease. Presentation of a pediatric case

La enfermedad de Wilson es un desorden autosómico recesivo del metabolismo del cobre.Se reporta un caso de cirrosis hepática y anemia hemolítica por enfermedad de Wilson en una adolescente de 13 años de edad. Debuta con cuadro sugestivo de infección urinaria, leucocituria, hematuria, acompañada de íctero de piel y mucosas, hepatomegalia ligera, vómitos y toma del estado general por lo que requiere cuidados intensivos pediátricos durante 5 días. Se le realizaron análisis complementarios compatibles con anemia hemolítica severa, Hb. 53 g/L Hto. 0,17 l/L, reticulocitosis de 180 x103, prueba de Coombs negativa, alteraciones del coagulograma y ligera elevación de las aminotransferasas. El estudio hepático mostró cifras de ceruloplasmina en 0,07 g/L, cobre en orina basal 9,13 µmol/día, cobre el tejido hepático 9,54 µg/g de tejido seco, presencia de anillo de Kayser Fleischer en lámpara de hendidura, laparoscopia con aspecto de una cirrosis hepática micronodular y biopsia hepática con una cirrosis micronodular secundaria a una enfermedad de Wilson.El diagnostico de enfermedad de Wilson deberá tenerse presente en todos aquellos niños que presenten una enfermedad hepática crónica o de evolución tórpida cuya etiología no aparezca clara, de tal manera de evitar el compromiso neurológico que habitualmente es más tardío(AU)

Wilson Disease (WD) is a recessive autosomal disorder in copper metabolism. A hepatic cirrhosis and hemolytic anemia is reported due to WD, in an female adolescent of age 13, with family antecedent of a sister with WD. She debuts presenting what seems to be a urinary infection, leukocyturia, hematuria, together with skin and mucosas icterus, mild hepatomegaly, vomits and generalized state of disease, reason why she requires pediatric intensive care for five days. Complementary analysis were carried out, compatibles with severe hemolytic anemia, HB. 53 g/L, Hto. 0.17i/L, reticulocytosis of 180X103, negative Coombs test, coagulogram alterations, and mild elevation of aminotransferases. The hepatic study show ciphers of ceruloplasmin in 0.07 g/L, copper in basal urine 9.13 µmol per day, copper in hepatic tissue 9,54 µg/g in dry tissue, Kayser Fleischer Ring in slit lamp, laparoscopy with aspect of a micronodular hepatic cirrhosis and liver biopsy with a secondary micronodular cirrhosis to a WD. The WD diagnosis should be taken into account in all children with a crhonic liver disease or torpid evoluction whose etiology is not clear, so that the normally later neurologic compromise may be avoided

The pattern of urinary copper excretion and its response to treatment in patients with Wilson's disease.

BACKGROUND: It is generally accepted that patients with Wilson's disease excrete excess copper in urine. However, there has been no study, on a large series of patients, as to whether there are differences in the rate of excretion at different stages of the disease or what changes may be expected after treatment. DESIGN: The present study follows from an analysis of the results of urinary copper excretion of 192 patients with Wilson's disease seen between 1955 and 2000. These patients were divided into three groups, pre-symptomatic, hepatic and neurological Wilson's disease. Patients were studied for basal pre-treatment, 24-h urinary copper excretion and for 6 h after a test dose of 500 mg penicillamine. The tests were repeated after approximately 1 and 2 years of chelation therapy with either penicillamine, or in a small minority of cases, trientine. RESULTS: The basal, pre-treatment copper excretion was the lowest in pre-symptomatic patients (207.93 µg/24 h) and the highest in the hepatic patients (465.75 µg/24 h). Those with neurological Wilson's disease gave an intermediate figure (305.58 µg/24 h). The response to penicillamine was the highest in the neurological patients and the lowest in the pre-symptomatic group. After 1 and 2 years of treatment all groups showed significant falls in both the basal and the after penicillamine rate of excretion of copper. The small subgroup treated with trientine, rather than penicillamine, showed similar results. CONCLUSIONS: The rate of copper excretion in patients with Wilson's disease shows wide variation from patient to patient, but in general patients with pre-symptomatic disease excrete less copper than those with symptomatic disease. All groups show a great increase when challenged with penicillamine. After 1 and 2 years of treatment, there is significant decrease in copper excretion in both basal and after penicillamine challenge. This presumably indicates a reduction in the body load of copper.

Effect and possible role of Zn treatment in LEC rats, an animal model of Wilson's disease.

The effect of oral zinc (Zn) treatment was studied in the liver, kidneys and intestine of Long-Evans Cinnamon (LEC) rats in relation to metals interaction and concentration of metallothionein (MT) and glutathione (GSH). We also investigated the change in the activity of antioxidant enzymes and determined the biochemical profile in the blood and metal levels in urine. We showed that the Zn-treated group had higher levels of MT in the hepatic and intestinal cells compared to both untreated and basal groups. Tissue Zn concentrations were significantly higher in the Zn-treated group compared to those untreated and basal, whereas Cu and Fe concentrations decreased. The antioxidant enzyme activities in the Zn-treated group did not change significantly with respect to those in the basal group, except for hepatic glutathione peroxidase activity. Moreover, the biochemical data in the blood of Zn-treated group clearly ascertain no liver damage. These observations suggest an important role for Zn in relation not only to its ability to compete with other metals at the level of absorption in the gastrointestinal tract producing a decrease in the hepatic and renal Cu and Fe deposits, but also to MT induction as free radical scavenger.

[Clinical study of integrated traditional and Western medicine therapy on hepatolenticular degeneration].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the curative effect of integrated traditional and western medicine (TCM-WM) therapy on hepatolenticular degeneration (HLD). METHODS: Eighty patients with HLD were divided randomly into two groups (TCM-WM group and WM group), TCM-WM group (40 cases) were given orally dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) and Gandou ([symbol: see text]) decoction for 1 month. The efficacy was compared with that of 40 cases treated with DMSA as the control. The changes of urinary trace and macro-elements before and after treatment were observed. RESULTS: The total effective rate of TCM-WM group was significantly higher than that of WM group (P < 0.05), especially more patients with hepatic type responded well to treatment with TCM-WM than with only chelating agent DMSA. Urinary trace and macro-elements were all obviously elevated in patients of two groups after treatment (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: TCM-WM therapy appears extremely promising as new cupruretic method for treatment of HLD. It is particularly suitable for treating the patient with hepatic type.

Molybdenum and copper kinetics after tetrathiomolybdate injection in LEC rats: specific role of serum albumin.

Chelation therapy with tetrathiomolybdate (TTM) was applied to Long-Evans rats with a cinnamon coat-color (LEC rats), an animal model for Wilson disease, to remove copper (Cu) accumulated in the liver in a form bound to metallothionein (MT). Changes in molybdenum (Mo) and Cu concentrations and their biological forms in serum of LEC rats determined at different times after a single intraperitoneal injection were compared with those of Wistar (normal) rats. The change in Mo concentration in serum of normal rats was mono-phasic, whereas in LEC rats it was bi-phasic. The phase in normal rats and the first phase in LEC rats appeared to reflect the process of uptake and disappearance of TTM in the livers of Wistar and LEC rats. On the other hand, the second phase in LEC rats paralleled the changes of Cu and appeared to reflect the complex formation (Cu/thiomolybdate complex) between Mo and Cu accumulated in the liver. The complex was specifically bound to albumin as determined by high performance liquid chromatography with inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (HPLC/ICP-MS). The results suggested that the changes in the Mo concentration in serum reflected the amount of Cu in the liver.

Psychosis in an adolescent patient with Wilson's disease: effects of chelation therapy.

Wilson's disease is a rare genetic disorder involving the liver and brain, with onset frequently in adolescence. Psychiatric symptoms are often the first manifestation of the disease and can obscure the diagnosis. Chelation therapy can reverse the fatal outcome of untreated patients, so early detection is critically important. This paper describes an adolescent with Wilson's disease who, after initiation of penicillamine therapy, developed florid psychosis that improved as copper levels were decreased and that did not require use of neuroleptic medication.

The effect of chelation therapy on the amino aciduria and peptiduria of Wilson's disease.

1. There is an excess urinary output of free amino acids and of urinary peptides in most cases of untreated Wilson's disease. Studies of 11 patients have shown that both these abnormalities are greatly improved by two years of standard chelation therapy. 2. The reduction in excretion of both free amino acids and peptides is purely quantitative, there being no significant change in the percentage composition of amino acids, either free or combined, in relation to their total urinary output. 3. Arguments are advanced that the peptiduria of the disease is usually due to a proximal renal tubular reabsorption defect, but in rare cases it may be due to excess bone breakdown or even to a combination of bone and renal tubular disease in the same patient.