Wilson disease is a hereditary disease in which excessive amounts of copper accumulate in the body, mainly in the liver. The disease affects approximately one in every 30,000 Canadians. Small amounts of copper are essential to good health. One of the liver’s jobs is to maintain the balance of copper in the body. The liver is also the main organ to store copper. In Wilson disease, when its storage capacity is full, copper is released into the bloodstream. It then accumulates in various organs such as the brain and the cornea of the eye. This copper overload damages these organs. Left untreated, Wilson’s disease can be fatal.
