Wilson's Disease Is Curable if Detected Early

Wilson's Disease is a rare genetic disease linked with copper depositing in the tissues and cells of the diagnosed. This disease turns untreatable in the later stages, but it is curable if it is detected early.

Dr. Aabha Nagral, presently treating around hundreds of patients suffering from Wilson's disease, defined W.D. as an unexplainable chronic disease, which needs to be monitored well by experts.

This disease can be identified easily in patients.

The tests include an opthalmalogic slit lamp examination used to detect Kayser-Fleischer rings, which refers to a dark ring encircling the iris of the eyes, according to Wilson Disease Association (WDA).This encircling is caused because of copper accumulation in the cornea of the eyes.

The other tests include: 24-hour urine copper test, serum ceruloplasmin test, MRI scans, liver biopsy for copper quantification in the patient and genetic testing.

The person suffering from this syndrome may look very healthy and hearty, but detecting this disease in its early stages is of crucial importance as it is capable of damaging the liver severely before it gets diagnosed.

"This disease is not often diagnosed on time, which makes it incurable. Otherwise it is a fully treatable disease," Dr.Nagral told Scienceworldreport.com.

Dr. Nagral advised people to avoid consanguineous marriages as they increase the risk of  genetic diseases like Wilson's disease.

The children and siblings related to any person suffering from this autosomal disease should be checked for the symptoms of this disease from the age of 2.

The patients are recommended to cut out food items such as organ meat, nuts, shellfish, mushrooms and chocolates from their diet, as they are rich in copper.  The patients should strictly consult their medics about the diet they should follow and the supplements they should consume.

Also, the water should be tested for copper content. If the copper content is above 0.1 ppm (parts per million) (which is 0.1 mg/L), another better source of copper filtering system should be installed or one should switch to a better water resource with lesser copper content.

People suffering from incurable jaundice or cirrhosis should be tested for Wilson's disease, Dr. Nagral explained.