Wilson's disease is associated with abnormal handling of which metal?

Prepare for the CAMLPR Chemistry Test. Enhance your understanding with interactive quizzes, flashcards, and detailed explanations. Boost your confidence and readiness for exam success!

Multiple Choice

Wilson's disease is associated with abnormal handling of which metal?

Wilson's disease is a disorder of copper metabolism caused by defective copper transport due to mutations in the ATP7B gene. This transporter normally moves copper into bile for excretion and helps load copper onto ceruloplasmin in the liver. When ATP7B is faulty, copper builds up in liver cells, then spills into the blood and accumulates in other tissues such as the brain, cornea, and kidneys, leading to tissue damage. Because the question asks which metal is abnormally handled, the metal is copper. The abnormal handling of copper explains the characteristic findings, including hepatic issues, neuropsychiatric symptoms, and Kayser-Fleischer rings in the cornea. Other metals listed are associated with different toxicities and diseases: lead affects heme synthesis and nervous system function; arsenic poisoning causes gastrointestinal and cardiovascular problems; mercury targets kidneys and the nervous system. Each of these involves distinct metal toxicology, not the copper-handling defect seen in Wilson's disease.

Wilson's disease is a disorder of copper metabolism caused by defective copper transport due to mutations in the ATP7B gene. This transporter normally moves copper into bile for excretion and helps load copper onto ceruloplasmin in the liver. When ATP7B is faulty, copper builds up in liver cells, then spills into the blood and accumulates in other tissues such as the brain, cornea, and kidneys, leading to tissue damage. Because the question asks which metal is abnormally handled, the metal is copper. The abnormal handling of copper explains the characteristic findings, including hepatic issues, neuropsychiatric symptoms, and Kayser-Fleischer rings in the cornea.

Other metals listed are associated with different toxicities and diseases: lead affects heme synthesis and nervous system function; arsenic poisoning causes gastrointestinal and cardiovascular problems; mercury targets kidneys and the nervous system. Each of these involves distinct metal toxicology, not the copper-handling defect seen in Wilson's disease.

More practice questions