RESEARCH ARTICLE


Quality of Life and Psychiatric Symptoms in Wilson’s Disease: the Relevance of Bipolar Disorders



MG Carta1, *, G Mura1, O Sorbello2, G Farina1, L Demelia2
1 Centro di Psichiatria di Consultazione e Psicosomatica, University Hospital Cagliari, Italy
2 UOC Gastroenterologia, AOU Cagliari, University Hospital Cagliari, Italy


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Creative Commons License
© Carta et al.; Licensee Bentham Open.

open-access license: This is an open access article licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted, non-commercial use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the work is properly cited.

* Address correspondence to this author at the Centro di Psichiatria di Consultazione e Psicosomatica, University Hospital, Cagliari, Italy; Tel/Fax: +390706093498; E-mail: mgcarta@tiscali.it


Abstract

Introduction:

Wilson’s disease is an inherited disorder caused by a gene located on chromosome 13, which involved copper transportation across cell membranes. The disease can cause a reduced incorporation of copper into ceruloplasmin resulting in accumulation of this metal in the liver, central nervous system, kidneys and other organs. The objective is to define the frequencies of psychiatric disorders in WD, the amount of impairment of Quality of Life [QoL] in patients with WD and the relevance of the psychiatric disorders in the QoL of people suffering by WD.

Methods:

This is a systematic review. The search of the significant articles was carried out in PubMed using specific key words.

Results:

Such other neurological diseases, WD is characterized by chronic course and need of treatments, impairment of functional outcomes and high frequency of psychiatric symptoms, although a specific association between Bipolar Disorders and WD was recently found. Despite this, since today few studies are carried on WD patients’ quality of life related to psychiatric symptoms. Some new reports showed a link between presence of Bipolar Disorders diagnosis, cerebral damage and low Qol.

Conclusion:

Prospective studies on large cohorts are required to establish the effective impact of psychiatric disorders comorbidity, particularly Bipolar Disorders, on quality of life in WD and to clarify the causal link between brain damage, psychiatric disorders and worsening of QoL.

Keywords: Wilson’s disease, psychiatric symptoms, quality of life, bipolar disorders, copper.