Psychiatric Symptoms in Childhood Wilson's Disease: Case Reports

Abstract

Various psychiatric symptoms/signs have been identified since the identification of Wilson's disease (WD). Every patient with WD suffers from one or more psychiatric problems (organic dementia, psychosis, and impulsivity) across the disease course. Sometimes, insidious symptoms, such as behavioral changes, failure in school performance, and disturbances in hand-eye coordination may be seen before the onset of neurologic presentation. In this report, five patients, who were diagnosed with WD and followed up in the Child Neurology Unit, were assessed by a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-4-based semistructured psychiatric interview (Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children). All patients had psychiatric symptoms. One patient had a history of a manic episode and the other had a history of a psychotic disorder at the initial stage of WD. Psychiatric symptoms coexist mostly with neurologic signs in patients with WD. In this sense, pediatric neurological consultation and copper screening are lifesaving in excluding organic etiology. However, WD is a lifelong treatmentrequiring disease and psychiatric evaluation of the patients is essential.