Wilsons Disease

Below is a free term papers summary of the paper "Wilsons Disease." If you sign up, you can be reading the rest of this term papers in under two minutes. Registered users should login to view this term paper.

Term Paper Title	Wilsons Disease
# of Words	1872
# of Pages (250 words per page double spaced)	7.49

Wilsons Disease

http://www.wilsonsdisease.org/

Wilson's Disease is a genetic disorder that is fatal unless detected and treated before serious illness develops from copper
          poisoning. Wilson's Disease affects one in thirty thousand people world wide. The genetic defect causes excessive copper
          accumulation. Small amounts of copper are essential as vitamins. Copper is present in most foods, and most people get
          much more than they need. Healthy people excrete copper they don't need, but Wilson's Disease patients cannot.

          Copper begins to accumulate immediately after birth. Excess copper attacks the liver and brain resulting in hepatitis,
          psychiatric, or neurologic symptoms. The symptoms usually appear in late adolescence. Patients may have jaundice,
          abdominal swelling, vomiting of blood and abdominal pain. They may have tremors, difficulty walking, talking and
          swallowing. They may develop all degrees of mental illness including homicidal or suicidal behavior, depression and
          aggression. Women may have menstrual irregularities, absent periods, infertility, or multiple miscarriages. No matter how
          the disease begins, it is always fatal, if is not diagnosed and treated.
          The first part of the body that copper affects is the liver. In about half of Wilson's Disease patients, the liver is the only
          affected organ. The physical changes in the liver are only visible under the microscope. When hepatitis develops, patients
          are often thought to have infectious hepatitis or infectious mononucleosis when they actually have Wilson's Disease
          hepatitis. Any unexplained abnormal liver test should trigger thought about Wilson's Disease.

          How is Wilson's Disease Diagnosed?

          The diagnosis of Wilson's Disease is made by relatively simple tests which almost always make the diagnosis. The tests
          can diagnose the disease in both symptomatic patients and people who show not signs of the disease. It is important to
          diagnose Wilson's Disease as early as possible, since severe liver damage can occur before there are any signs of the
          disease. Individuals with Wilson's Disease may falsely appear in excellent health.
          Blood, ceruloplasmin, urine copper, eye test for Kayser-Fleischer rings, and liver biopsies are used to make the diagnosis.

          Is Wilson's Disease an Inherited Disorder?

          W...

This is not the end of the termpaper! Register below to see the complete version of this term paper.

Membership Plans	Credit Card	Check

1 month membership

3 month membership (You Save 50%)

6 month membership (You Save 67%)

Copyright © 2002-2007 Mid Term Papers. All rights reserved. This term papers website is used for research purposes only.
If you have forgotten your username or password, please click here.
If you like to cancel your account, please click here.

1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 - 17 - 18 - 19 - 20 - 21 - 22