Wilson's disease for younger people

Because the doctor who first discovered it was called Wilson.

Everybody needs a metal called copper to grow properly. We get copper from food. Food is sent to the liver to be sorted. The liver decides what is needed by the body to grow and what should be got rid of. In people with Wilson's disease the liver is not able to get rid of the unwanted copper; therefore there is too much copper in the liver. When the liver is full, the copper overflows and goes to other parts of the body. This means that there is a lot of copper in the body.

......you could imagine that your bathtub is your liver and that water is copper, if you fill the bathtub with water, and keep filling it up but don´t take the plug out, it will overflow.....
Too much copper makes you sick. Medicine will do the job of getting rid of the excess copper – your body will have the copper it needs to live and grow and the medicine will get rid of the rest.

It´s nobody's fault.
Wilson's is what we call a genetic disease; this means it's something that you are born with.

No, it is not catching. It is not due to a virus or a bug; it is due to a mistake in the genes.

The liver does lots of jobs. It helps to turn food into energy. It gets rid of some waste products from the body. It makes special proteins that we need to grow and be healthy. It lies in the upper part of the abdomen.

Liver problems usually do not cause pain. They can cause other things which are a nuisance like yellow jaundice, tiredness

itchiness of the skin,

and sometimes swelling of the tummy.

Medicines control the amount of copper which is in the liver causing damage to it. It may be hard for you to take medicines every day and you may sometimes not want to. But not taking your drug will make you sick, even though you may not feel it right away. After a while you WILL start to feel sick.

You will feel much better and you will be able to do much more and have much more fun !

You won't notice anything straightaway, but your liver will be being more damaged and after a little while you might get very ill indeed. Do not stop taking your medicine!

Sometimes children with Wilson's disease have got a special little feature in the eye which has got a complicated name (the Kayser-Fleischer ring). This copper coloured ring does not change your vision. It helps to make the diagnosis of Wilson's disease.

Sometimes people with Wilson's disease have too much copper in the brain. This can cause problems like tremor which is shaking of the hands. If this happens you will need to see a neurologist.

Sometimes people with Wilson's disease have too much copper in the brain. This can cause problems like tremor which is shaking of the hands, or sometimes difficulties in talking, writing or buttoning up clothes. Medical treatment will get rid of the copper slowly and prevent or stop these symptoms.

• Play on a computer? YES
• Play games? YES
• Eat anything I want? You can eat anything your mum and dad and doctor say you can.
• Go to parties? Definitely!

It is probably best that your school teachers know that you have Wilson's disease and your parents will probably talk to them about this.

It is up to you whether or not you tell your friends. It is usually best to tell your good friends that you've got a medical problem, so they understand why you have to have medicines