About Wilson Disease
Wilson Disease (WD) is a rare genetic disorder that affects your liver, making it unable to process and remove excess copper from the body.
The body does require a small amount of copper to be healthy. In people without WD, this excess copper, sometimes from food, is excreted naturally. In someone with WD, excess copper accumulates, or gathers, in the liver and injures it. Eventually, this excess copper is released into the bloodstream and deposited in other tissues and organs, such as the brain, kidneys, and cornea.
As a rare disease, getting diagnosed with WD can be a long and frustrating process.
As a rare disease, getting diagnosed with WD can be a long and frustrating process.
It is estimated that more than 10,000 people in the United States have WD or 1 in 30,000 people worldwide.
Discover additional education and find community through the Wilson Disease Association (WDA), which has supported people with WD since 1983.
Wilson Disease is serious and can be dangerous
When it’s not properly treated, excess copper accumulates in the liver and other organs, causing a wide range of symptoms.
Liver symptoms, such as liver failure, enlarged liver and spleen, elevated liver enzymes .
Neurological symptoms, such as tremors, drooling, difficulty swallowing, seizures, sleep disorders
.
Psychiatric symptoms, such as depression or mood changes
WD maintenance therapy options can be challenging.
Once disease symptoms or copper levels have stabilized, providers can switch their patients to a maintenance dose of chelating agents or zinc. Taking medication can be challenging. In fact, all WD treatments are associated with side effects.
Pill burden is also a factor. Most maintenance therapies for WD are taken in multiple doses on an empty stomach. Timing and proper drug storage—like refrigeration of trientine-can feel burdensome. All of these factors can have a negative impact on your treatment adherence.
Pill burden is also a factor. Most maintenance therapies for WD are taken in multiple doses on an empty stomach. Timing and proper drug storage—like refrigeration of trientine-can feel burdensome. All of these factors can have a negative impact on your treatment adherence.
More than 50% of patients report not adhering to their prescribed therapy.
But good adherence to a prescribed treatment is vital. Failure to take medication as prescribed may lead to acute hepatitis, hepatic failure, neuropsychiatric deterioration, and ultimately death.
But good adherence to a prescribed treatment is vital. Failure to take medication as prescribed may lead to acute hepatitis, hepatic failure, neuropsychiatric deterioration, and ultimately death.
Before CUVRIOR, the last FDA-approved therapy for WD was nearly 30 years ago.
Meet CUVRIOR
It is important to know what types of food can affect copper levels in our bodies, as certain foods may make Wilson Disease better or worse.
Visit the Wilson Disease Association for helpful nutrition guidance.
What could CUVRIOR mean for you?
Learn more and prepare to talk to your doctor today by downloading our CUVRIOR discussion guide.