[Wilson's disease: pediatric experience in Costa Rica].
BACKGROUND
Costa Rica is known to have a relatively high prevalence of Wilson's disease (WD). The present study describes the clinical presentation and demographic characteristics of patients diagnosed with WD at the Country's National Pediatric Hospital.


METHODS
We performed a retrospective chart review of all patients diagnosed with WD from January 1992 to March 2006.


RESULTS
Thirty-five patients were diagnosed with WD and 69% were male (n=24). Age at presentation was 10+/-2 years (range, 5-15). Clinical presentation included hepatic features in 69% (n=24), hematological features in 11% (n=4) and neurological features in 3% (n=1). Six patients (17%) were asymptomatic siblings. Six children (17%) died from fulminant hepatic failure. Liver biopsies were performed in 21 patients (60%), showing cirrhosis in five. Five patients underwent liver transplantation due to acute liver failure.


CONCLUSIONS
WD should be suspected in children with chronically abnormal liver function tests. The clinical presentation of autochthonous patients was similar to that in children diagnosed in other countries.
Departamento de Pediatría, División de Gastroenterología, Hepatología y Nutrición, Hospital Nacional de Niños de Costa Rica, Costa Rica.
Gabriela
G
Jiménez
Víctor
V
Cambronero
Carlos
C
Morales
Alfredo
A
Mora
Celina
C
Guzmán
Carolina
C
Jiménez-Rivera
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003364:Costa Rica; D005260:Female; D006527:Hepatolenticular Degeneration / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies