Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0023890 (cirrhosis)
 42,195 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Though myocardial alterations are well recognized in haemochromatosis, little attention has been paid to the cardiac changes in Wilson's disease. To define the extent of myocardial degeneration in newly diagnosed or chronically treated Wilson's disease, we reviewed the autopsy findings in 9 cases with this condition. We compared our observations with those in 3 control cases, selected for comparable age and with liver disease having no known association with cardiac degeneration. Our results revealed cardiac hypertrophy in 5 out of 9 cases of Wilson's disease. There was evidence of interstitial and replacement fibrosis, intramyocardial small vessel sclerosis and focal inflammatory cell inflammation to a variable degree in all cases. One case had AV nodal degeneration, and a 15 year old boy had severe atherosclerosis of the left main coronary artery. Two patients died suddenly, presumably secondary to an arrhythmia; one of these patients had the most marked myocardial alterations. We could not correlate these changes specifically with the tissue levels of copper, treatment with D-penicillamine, or the presence of cirrhosis. We conclude that there are definite morphological abnormalities in the hearts of patients with Wilson's disease consistent with a cardiomyopathy. Though the myocardial changes were non-specific, the fact that 2 patients died suddenly, suggests the need for a prospective study of cardiac function in these patients in the future.
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PMID:The cardiomyopathy of Wilson's disease. Myocardial alterations in nine cases. 715 67

Wilson's disease in a young woman presenting with an acute course is described. The clinical manifestations were fulminant hepatic failure associated with marked intravascular hemolysis. Immediate D-penicillamine and high-dose steroid therapy did not influence the course of the disease. Necropsy revealed an increased hepatic copper content and cirrhosis with extensive necrosis of the liver.
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PMID:D-penicillamine in Wilson's disease presenting as acute liver failure with hemolysis. 717 63

A case report is presented of a young woman in whom symptomatic porphyria cutanea tarda (PCT) developed during copper chelation therapy for Wilson's disease. The 22 year old white woman was seen in the summer of 1978 because of development of blisters on the dorsa of the hands associated with focal atrophic hypopigmentation, generalized hyperpigmentation of the skin, and hpertrichosis of the lateral forehead and face. A sibling had died in childhood with Wilson's disease. When the patient developed hepatomegaly, ascites, and an acute hepatitis syndrome at the age of 11, penicillamine therapy was empirically started, with gradual symptomatic improvement. When evaluated at the age of 22, abnormal laboratory values included a total bilirubin of 1.2 mg%; alkaline phosphatase, 96 U; serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase (SGOT), 175 U; serum glutamic pyruvic transaminase (SGPT), 122 U; gamma glutamyl trans peptidase (GGTP), 64 U; and Bromsulphalein (BSP) retention, 21% at 45 minutes. Skin biopsy from the hand revealed a noninflammatory subepidermal bulla with prominently PAS positive vessel walls in the festooned dermal papillae at the base of the blister. A fragmented liver biopsy failed to reveal evidence of active hepatitis or cirrhosis, but considerable stainable iron was present in both hepatocytes and Kupffer cells. A rubeanic acid stain for copper was negative. The patient was diagnosed as having Wilson's disease, hepatic hemosiderosis, and PCT. Cessation of all ethanol consumption and discontinuation of the oral contraceptives which she had been taking for 6 years, was recommended. On examination 9 and 22 months after these modifications were instituted, the patient felt asymptomatic and was without evidence of any new blisters or scars of her skin. The hyperpigmentation and hypertrichosis persisted, but she rigidly adhered to a program of penicillamine, topical sunscreen application, and abnegation of alcohol. Liver function studies were normal, and urinary porphyrin levels returned toward normal values. The clinical onset of this patient's blistering disease was temporally associated with ethanol and exogenous estrogen medication.
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PMID:Porphyria cutanea tarda complicating Wilson's disease. 720 91

Urinary copper excretion was found to be increased in patients with cholestasis, hepatitis and cirrhosis, but the penicillamine-induced increment was normal. Wilson's disease patients had increased copper excretion before and after penicillamine, especially in untreated cases. Hepatic copper concentrations correlated with urinary copper excretion in cholestasis and treated Wilson's disease, but not in hepatitis or cirrhosis. In treated Wilson's disease, measurement of urinary copper excretion should be valuable in estimating the degree of removal of copper from the body during therapy. Urinary copper clearances were raised in various liver conditions, maximally in untreated Wilson's disease. It is suggested that only part of the serum non-caeruloplasmin copper is available for excretion into urine.
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PMID:Urinary copper excretion and hepatic copper concentrations in liver disease. 721 19

A brother and sister who suffered from pruritus since infancy developed hepatic cirrhosis early in life. Although this clinical picture has never been seen in Wilson's disease, Kayser-Fleischer rings in the boy made further studies necessary. Oral radiocopper loading tests administered to both children and to their parents served to exclude Wilson's disease conclusively. Determinations of the concentrations and patterns of bile acids in the serum indicated that the abnormalities observed in these children are not related to errors in bile acid synthesis. Although a defect in bile acid transport is present, it appears to have occurred as a consequence of the liver disease.
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PMID:Familial cholestatic cirrhosis associated with Kayser-Fleischer rings. 736 85

The concentration of adenosine 3':5'-cyclic monophosphate in the spinal fluid of ten patients with liver dysfunction was analyzed. Ages of the patients ranged from 31 to 75 years. The state of consciousness varied between normality and stupor. After a liver biopsy the diagnoses were as follows: cirrhosis in six cases, porphyria cutanea tarda in one case, hepatic metastases in two cases and Wilson's disease in one case. Mean values in these patients (22.91 +/- 4.18 pM/ml) have been significantly greater (p less than 0.0005) than those in ten control individuals (15.55n control individuals (15.44 +/- 3.66 pM/ml). Values corresponding to two patients in coma were still higher (52.62 and 36.50 pM/ml respectively). A previous lumbar puncture carried out in one of these patients when he was conscious showed a figure of 23 pM/ml. These results suggest a progressive rise of cyclic adenosine monophosphate in the spinal fluid in relation to clinical impairment, and may indicate a similar behaviour for this nucleotide to that of tryptophan, as reported by other authors. These findings point toward the role of the alteration of neurotransmitters in the pathogenesis of hepatic coma.
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PMID:[Cyclic adenosine monophosphate in the cerebrospinal fluid of patients with liver disease (author's transl)]. 737 36

The term "chronic hepatitis" includes diseases of different etiology, i.e. viral (hepatitis B virus, non-A/non-B hepatitis virus[es]), drug-induced (e.g. oxyphenisatin, alpha-methyldopa), metabolic (Wilson's disease, alpha 1-antitrypsin deficiency) and so-called "autoimmune" hepatitis. In the clinical course, hepatitis running for up to 3 months is considered acute; when lasting for 3-6 months it is termed prolonged, and chronic hepatitis means a duration of more than 6 months by definition. In chronic hepatitis there is international agreement on basing nomenclature on morphologic findings and on distinguishing chronic persistent hepatitis (with a predominantly lymphocytic inflammation restricted to portal tracts) from chronic aggressive (or active) hepatitis. The latter is typified by piecemeal necrosis in the periportal areas (activity a); additional piecemeal necrosis along fibrous septa or bridging hepatic necorsis is the key feature for activity b. In hepatitis B virus infection, the symptomfree carrier of the virus with no inflammation in biopsy, or merely nonspecific reactive hepatitis, must be included under the heading of chronic hepatitis. Cirrhosis, however, although resulting from necrosis, inflammation and fiber formation, refers exclusively to the disturbance of lobular architecture and its microcirculatory consequences. The term "cirrhosis" is thus not included in the definition of chrome hepatitis and should be evaluated separately as an entity in its own right.
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PMID:[Chronic hepatitis]. 742 73

Wilson's disease is an autosomal recessive disorder characterized by progressive cirrhosis or neurological signs. Early detection and prompt treatment can reverse the relentless course of the disease. Treatment with D-penicillamine substantially improves the outlook for such patients unless side effects preclude its use. We report the use of triethylene tetramine dihydrochloride (Trien), a new non-sulfhydryl-chelating agent, in a girl who was unable to tolerate D-penicillamine in spite of steroid coverage. The drug has been well tolerated without side effects for approximately 2 1/2 years. Our patient's favorable clinical response would suggest that Trien is a safe alternative agent for the treatment of Wilson's disease when D-penicillamine is not tolerated.
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PMID:Treatment of Wilson's disease with triethylene tetramine dihydrochloride. A case report. 743 76

Hepatic copper concentrations were compared with staining grades of copper associated protein (CAP) and histochemical copper in liver sections from 44 patients (one fetus, one pre-term infant, four term infants, eight normal children, 16 children with various liver diseases, and 14 patients with intrahepatic cholestasis of childhood (IHCC)). A similar comparative study of hepatic copper concentration with CAP and histochemical copper was performed in 21 patients with Wilson's disease. CAP occurred in the fetus, pre-term infant, and term infants without liver disease. This suggests that CAP is a normal constituent of the hepatocyte and is not a consequence of liver disease or biliary obstruction. CAP was not seen when hepatic copper concentration was normal; it was absent in eight children with no evidence of liver disease, eight children with non-cirrhotic liver disease, and seven of eight children with cirrhosis. When hepatic copper concentration exceeded 4.0 mumol/g dry liver weight grade 2 or grade 3 staining for CAP and histochemical copper was found in the fetus, pre-term infant, infants, and IHCC. CAP was found in IHCC only in the presence of raised hepatic copper levels, supporting evidence of a relationship between copper and CAP. In 17 of 21 patients with Wilson's disease hepatic copper concentrations exceeded 4 mumol/g. Positive staining for CAP was seen in seven of these patients being usually grade 1. CAP is a normal associated protein, present when hepatic copper concentrations are increased in normal liver cells. It is usually absent in hepatocytes from Wilson's disease despite similar hepatic copper levels. CAP may represent material which protects the hepatocyte from the toxic effects of copper.
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PMID:Observations on copper associated protein in childhood liver disease. 745 May 63

An alcoholic patient had cirrhosis and pigmented corneal rings similar to Kayser-Fleischer rings. A slitlamp examination by two ophthalmologists, independently, showed bilateral and circumferential rings. Patients with altered copper metabolism in liver disease other than Wilson's disease have been described to have pigmented corneal rings seen only on slitlamp examination. The results of our patient's copper metabolism studies disclosed that the intensity of the rings correlated directly with the serum bilirubin concentrations. Thus, patients with severe cholestasis may be initially seen with Kayser-Fleischer-like rings that should be evaluated further with copper metabolism studies.
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PMID:Fluctuating Kayser-Fleischer-like rings in a jaundiced patient. 745 21


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