[Kayser-Fleischer ring in Wilson's disease]

Abstract

Wilson's disease is a copper toxicosis characterized by an overload in tissue copper (mainly hepatic, cerebral and pericorneal). It is caused by ATP7B mutations which incorporate copper into ceruloplasmin in the liver and pass out excess copper into the bile. This disease can be adequately treated if diagnosed early. The challenge is to diagnose it in the early stage of liver disease, before it becomes multisystemic. We report the case of a 19-year old female patient with Wilson's disease with multisytemic involvement: mucocutaneous pallor, intermittent hand tremor, that started when she was 16 years, hepatitis complicated by ascites, neurological disorder, such as postural tremor of the arms and the legs. Ophthalmologic examination using the slit-lamp showed Kayser-Fleischer ring in both eyes (A,B) which is a copper deposit in the peripheral corneal endothelium, more precisely on the border area between the cornea and the sclera (C). Laboratory tests showed low ceruloplasmin levels (0.03 g/L), cupremy 0.4 mg/l and urinary copper excretion 11.6 μmol. Brain MRI revealed generalized signal change, gliosis and atrophy of the thalamus and of the brainstem.

Keywords: Kayser-Fleischer ring; Wilson's disease; copper toxicosis.

Figure 1

A) image de l'œil droit montrant l'anneau de Kayser Fleischer sur 360 de la périphérie cornéenne; B) image de l'œil gauche montrant l'anneau de Kayser Fleischer sur 360 de la périphérie cornéenne; C) fort grossissement de la périphérie cornéenne supéro-externe de l'œil droit